Tension flared at the Lekki Toll Gate as police fired tear gas to disperse activists and concerned Nigerians who gathered to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the #EndSARS protests against police brutality.

The gathering was organised to honour those who lost their lives and remember the demonstrations that swept across the country in October 2020. However, the protesters were forced to flee as tear gas filled the area, disrupting the planned commemoration.

Among those who gathered at the toll gate were the Lagos State governorship candidates of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Funso Doherty, and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.

Despite the disruption, the activists vowed to continue the struggle for justice and police reforms that inspired the #EndSARS movement, while keeping alive the memory of those who died.

Tension has since subsided, and the area is now clear.

Six years after the protests, the incident has renewed concerns about citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.

Tuesday’s incident comes six years after the demonstrations began in October 2020, when young Nigerians demanded an end to police brutality, particularly abuses associated with the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

The demonstrations spread across the country, with the Lekki Toll Gate becoming a focal point of the movement. On October 20, 2020, soldiers opened fire on protesters at the toll gate, an incident that remains a source of controversy over casualties and accountability.

The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry, which investigated the incident, found that protesters were shot at, injured, and killed. The state government later rejected key parts of the panel’s findings, including aspects of its conclusions on casualties.

Subsequent anniversaries have also been marked by clashes between security operatives and people who gathered at the toll gate.

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 people he described as “miscreants”, rather than participants in the procession.

In 2024, police again fired tear gas to disperse protesters marking the fourth anniversary of the demonstrations. The protesters had called for the full implementation of recommendations made by judicial panels established after the 2020 protests. The police said they acted after the protesters refused to disperse.

The #EndSARS movement led to the disbandment of SARS in October 2020. However, demands for accountability, compensation for victims, and broader police reforms have continued.