EndSARS Anniversary: Police Fire Tear Gas to Disperse Gathering at Lekki Toll Gate
Police officers fired tear gas at activists, residents and other participants gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, disrupting a memorial organised to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the #EndSARS protests against police brutality.
The gathering was organised by the Enough is Enough (EiE) movement to honour those who lost their lives during the 2020 demonstrations and renew calls for justice, accountability and police reform.
Participants were preparing to hold a wreath-laying ceremony when officers deployed tear gas, forcing people at the scene to flee for safety.
Among those present were Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Lagos State governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Funso Doherty of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Reports from the scene said the disruption prevented participants from completing the planned memorial activities. The incident has renewed concerns about the handling of public gatherings commemorating the protests.
Memorial disrupted before wreath-laying ceremony
The gathering at the Lekki Toll Gate was intended to remember victims of the #EndSARS protests and draw attention to demands that emerged from the nationwide demonstrations.
According to reports by TheCable, Channels Television and Vanguard, police officers had assembled at the location before the memorial began. Tear gas was subsequently fired as participants gathered at the toll gate.
The resulting confusion forced people to move away from the area before the planned wreath-laying ceremony could take place.
The Lagos Toll Gate has remained a significant location in Nigeria’s recent history because of its association with the October 2020 protests and the shooting incident that occurred there.
For activists and families of victims, annual commemorations provide an opportunity to remember those affected by the protests and renew calls for accountability.
The latest disruption has again placed the relationship between security enforcement and citizens’ right to peaceful assembly under public scrutiny.
Rhodes-Vivour, Funso Doherty among participants
The presence of the two Lagos governorship candidates added political significance to Tuesday’s gathering.
Rhodes-Vivour, who represents the ADC, and Doherty, of the NDC, were among the political figures and residents who attended the memorial.
Both candidates were reportedly affected when officers fired tear gas to disperse the gathering.
The event was not organised as a conventional political rally. Its stated purpose was to honour victims of the 2020 protests and sustain public attention on demands for justice and police reform.
The disruption prevented participants from completing the planned ceremony, while footage and reports from the scene circulated through Nigerian media outlets.
As of the time of reporting, the Lagos State Police Command had not provided a detailed public explanation for the use of tear gas at the memorial, according to Vanguard’s report.
Why the Lekki Toll Gate remains significant
The Lekki Toll Gate became one of the most prominent locations associated with the #EndSARS movement in October 2020.
The protests began as demonstrations against police brutality, particularly alleged abuses involving the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). They spread across Nigeria as young people and other citizens demanded changes to policing practices, accountability for abuses and better protection of citizens’ rights.
On October 20, 2020, soldiers opened fire on protesters at the toll gate, an incident that remains deeply controversial because of disputes surrounding the circumstances, casualties and accountability.
The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry established to investigate the incident found that protesters were shot at, injured and killed. The Lagos State Government subsequently rejected important aspects of the panel’s findings, including parts of its conclusions concerning casualties.
The incident became a defining moment in the country’s debate about police conduct, the use of force against demonstrators and the protection of civil liberties.
Although SARS was disbanded in October 2020, activists have continued to demand accountability, compensation for victims and broader reforms to Nigeria’s policing system.
Previous EndSARS commemorations also disrupted
Tuesday’s incident follows earlier confrontations between security operatives and people who gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate to mark anniversaries of the protests.
In October 2021, police fired tear gas during a memorial procession organised to honour victims of police brutality. The police said officers were dispersing people they described as miscreants rather than participants in the memorial procession.
In 2024, officers also deployed tear gas during a gathering marking the fourth anniversary of the protests. Participants had called for the implementation of recommendations made by judicial panels established after the 2020 demonstrations.
These repeated disruptions have continued to raise questions about the conditions under which Nigerians can organise public commemorations and peaceful demonstrations.
Security agencies have responsibilities to maintain public order and protect people, but their actions during public gatherings can also attract scrutiny over whether the force used is necessary and proportionate.
Calls for justice and police reform continue
Despite the disruption, activists have maintained that the demands that inspired the #EndSARS movement remain relevant.
Those demands include accountability for alleged police abuses, justice for victims, compensation where appropriate and reforms aimed at preventing future violations.
The anniversary also provides an opportunity to assess progress made since 2020 and examine whether the concerns raised by protesters have been adequately addressed.
For many participants, remembering the victims is not simply a symbolic exercise but part of a continuing effort to ensure that allegations of abuse are investigated and that public institutions are held accountable.
The events at Lekki Toll Gate on Tuesday have once again brought these issues to the forefront of public discussion.
The circumstances surrounding the police decision to deploy tear gas, including any official justification for the action, remain important questions as further information becomes available.
Source: Channels Television, TheCable and Vanguard.
