LAGOS: The Nigerian Police have reportedly fired tear gas to disperse activists and other Nigerians who gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the #EndSARS protests.
The gathering was organised to honour victims of the 2020 demonstrations and renew calls for justice, accountability and comprehensive police reforms. However, the reported use of tear gas disrupted the commemoration, forcing participants to flee the area.
Among those present at the gathering were Funso Doherty, the Lagos governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Despite the disruption, activists reportedly vowed to continue their campaign for justice for victims of police brutality and maintain pressure on the authorities to implement meaningful reforms.
Tension later subsided, and the area was reported to have been cleared.
The #EndSARS movement began in October 2020, when thousands of young Nigerians took to the streets to demand an end to police brutality, particularly abuses associated with the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
The protests spread across several states, with the Lekki Toll Gate emerging as one of the movement’s most prominent gathering points.
On October 20, 2020, soldiers opened fire on protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate, an incident that generated national and international outrage and remains a subject of controversy and continuing demands for accountability.
The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry, established to investigate the incident, found evidence that protesters had been shot, injured and killed. The state government subsequently rejected key aspects of the panel’s findings, including parts of its conclusions concerning casualties.
The reported incident on Tuesday echoes previous confrontations between security operatives and people commemorating the #EndSARS protests.
In October 2021, police fired tear gas during a memorial procession organised by youths and celebrities to honour victims of police brutality. The then Lagos Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, said officers were dispersing individuals he described as miscreants rather than participants in the procession.
In 2024, police again used tear gas to disperse people marking the fourth anniversary of the protests. Participants were demanding the full implementation of recommendations made by judicial panels established after the 2020 demonstrations. Police said officers intervened after the gathering refused to disperse.
Although the #EndSARS protests led to the disbandment of SARS in October 2020, demands for justice, compensation for victims and broader police reforms have continued.
The latest incident has renewed concerns about the protection of citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, particularly during public commemorations of politically significant events.
As Nigerians mark six years since the protests, calls for accountability and lasting reforms in the country’s policing system remain central to the #EndSARS legacy.
