EndSARS: Protestors return to Lekki Toll Gate for anniversary

This is in spite of an earlier warning by Lagos state commissioner of police Hakeem Odumosu “in view of the volatility of the present situations in the country, and the breakdown of law and order which the planned protest might cause.

“The command wishes to use this medium to warn the youth, groups, or associations planning such protest to jettison the idea forthwith. The police in the state will not fold their arms and allow some misguided elements disrupt the peace and serenity currently being enjoyed in the state.”

Multiple arrests have already been made at the heavily guarded venue.

During Falz’s performance at the 2021 Felabration festival on Sunday, the rapper, who had been highly vocal during last year’s protests, urged people in the country to disregard police intimidation and come out in commemoration of those who lost their lives. The artist said that he would lead a memorial car procession through the toll gate on Wednesday morning. 

On 20 October last year, DJ Switch, who had been caught up in the massacre, shared live footage of the shootings, which drew attention to the incident. “They shot peaceful people, they just shot us for nothing,” she told her Instagram followers. “Please record this. Look at bullets, bullets everywhere, people are picking it from the floor. Please record this and share. We were able to escape because we went under a truck.” DJ Switch soon had to go into hiding, citing threats on her life. 

Speaking at the Oslo Freedom Forum in Miami on 4 October 2021, the singer-activist accused Nigerian leaders of being “afraid of a thinking, innovative and collaborative working Nigeria. They are afraid of every young Nigerian who, against all odds, have made it for themselves.” Citing Fela Kuti’s 1977 song ‘Zombie’, DJ Switch also likened the Nigerian army to “mindless zombies following idiotic orders. “Today we honour them because they have sacrificed their very existence for a cause bigger than all of us,” he said. “They live forever in our hearts. We will never ever forget.”

At a conflict resolution forum on Tuesday organised by the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Lagos State governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu called for reconciliation with young people in the state, reaffirming his belief in them.

“Today is a day of reconciliation and it is about our teeming youths. This is the moment to create a common ground and take ownership of our future. We have, indeed, assessed what we have passed through as a people; it’s now the moment to come together and build our lives together. This event is about aggregating all the conversations of the millions of youths that have been represented here. All of us have agreed that, when we work together, we can build a resilient society we will truly be proud of. We will continue to build, engage and work with our young people.”

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch says victims of last year’s violent crackdown are still awaiting justice: “Nigerian authorities should clearly demonstrate that they are serious about holding those responsible for abuses against protesters to account,” Human Rights Watch Nigeria researcher Anietie Ewang said. “Failure to pursue justice will strengthen the culture of impunity and reinforce the perceptions that brought protesters to the streets in the first place.”

Musicians such as Runtown, Tiwa Savage, MI Abaga, Olamide, Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy, among others, have taken part in the #EndSARS movement. The campaign, which has now expanded to include demands of social justice, improved economic opportunities and accountable governance, started out as a call for police reforms, including the dissolution of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), commonly known as SARS. The unit had been accused of human rights violations including extortion, unlawful arrests and shootings.