Police reportedly fired tear gas to disperse activists and concerned Nigerians who gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos on Tuesday to mark the sixth anniversary of the #EndSARS protests.
The gathering was organised to honour victims of the 2020 demonstrations against police brutality.
The protesters reportedly fled as tear gas filled the area, disrupting the planned commemoration.
Among those present were Lagos State governorship candidates Funso Doherty of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Despite the disruption, activists vowed to sustain the struggle for justice, police accountability and reforms, while keeping alive the memory of those who lost their lives.
The incident has renewed concerns over citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
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The anniversary comes six years after the #EndSARS movement swept across Nigeria in October 2020, with young people demanding an end to police brutality, particularly abuses associated with the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
The Lekki Toll Gate became a focal point of the protests following the shooting of demonstrators by soldiers on October 20, 2020. The incident remains contentious, with continuing disputes over casualties and accountability.
The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry found that protesters were shot, injured and killed, although the state government subsequently rejected key aspects of the panel’s findings.
Similar confrontations between security operatives and anniversary protesters have occurred at the toll gate in subsequent years, including in 2021 and 2024, when police used tear gas to disperse gatherings.
Although SARS was disbanded in October 2020, demands for justice for victims, compensation and comprehensive police reforms remain central to the #EndSARS movement.