The 2026 memorial for the Lekki Toll Gate shooting incident that led to loss of lives during the EndSARS protests of 2020 did not go as planned as police dispersed the gatherers with teargas.
Police presence had been established at the Toll Gate since the early hours of Tuesday.
By 11 a.m., gatherers for the memorial, including African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) gubernatorial candidates, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and Funsho Doherty, together with Yemi Adamolekun, an activist who has worked to immortalise the events of that day, were present at the venue.
Police prevented any gathering, citing public safety and the right of way of Lagos residents.
As the gatherers continued their activities to lay bouquets at the Toll Gate, the police fired teargas, scattering the gathering and effectively bringing the memorial to an end.
Rhodes-Vivour, Doherty Call for Better Police Welfare, Reforms
In the midst of the standoff with the police, opposition political figures called for better police welfare and stronger reforms to prevent a repeat of the violence that followed the 2020 EndSARS protests.
Speaking at allat the Lekki tollgate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and Funsho Doherty, said the country must remember those who died and address the problems that led to the protests.
They both said police officers need better working and living conditions to perform their duties effectively.
“When the police is well taken care of, they will police better and more effectively,” Rhodes-Vivour said, adding that officers displaced by the destruction of barracks were scattered across Lagos.
Doherty, on his part, said Nigeria had not done enough to reform the police, particularly in the area of officers’ welfare.
He also supported the principle of state police but warned that its success would depend on how it was established and the safeguards put in place.
Immortalise Those Who Died, Gatherers Urge Government
They both called for a memorial to honour those who died and urged the government to address public complaints instead of focusing only on protests.
“No Nigerian, no Lagosian should have to lose their lives because they are complaining about something that they’re not happy with the government,” Doherty said.
Yemi Adamolekun, the organiser of the memorial, said, "There are people who died, not just in Lagos, but across the country that were protesting police brutality.
"So this morning we decided, as we look at six years since EndSARS and remember those that died."
The EndSARS protests began in 2020 as young Nigerians demanded an end to police brutality.
Adamolekun said a Lagos judicial panel recognised nine deaths and listed four people as missing and presumed dead.
The speakers urged the government to improve policing and governance so citizens can protest without fear of losing their lives.
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