Demonstrators marking the fourth anniversary of the #EndSARS protests against police brutality and extrajudicial killings at the Lekki Toll Gate have accused the police of brutalising them during the memorial procession on Sunday.
A handful of protesters had gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate, a spot now synonymous with anti-government rallies in Lagos State, to honour the memories of those who lost their lives during the October 2020 rallies but met stiff resistance from the police.
“We are protesters who wanted to mark the anniversary of #EndSARS but were apprehended by a group of policemen under the leadership of the commissioner of police,” one of the protesters said in a video posted on X by human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong.
“I am right here speaking to you from a Black Maria brutalised and beaten by the police, my glasses were taken away from my eyes by a police officer without any provocation.
“We are asking today when it has become illegal to protest in this country.”
However, the Lagos State Police Command said the protesters did not write to seek police clearance and permission before embarking on the rally.
“Constitutionally, they should write to me as the Commissioner of Police but they did not write and as such, any of such gathering is illegal and by extension, the police will not allow it to happen,” the State Police Commissioner, Olanrewaju Ishola, told Channels Television.
The CP explained that the police authorities were not unmindful of citizens’ constitutional rights but stressed that while exercising their rights, they must prioritise the laws of the land over other considerations.
Meanwhile, international rights group, Amnesty International, has condemned the arrest of protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate.
“Amnesty International condemns the Nigeria police for the violent attack on people who assembled at Lekki Toll Gate to honour peaceful protesters killed during the #EndSARS protests against police brutality in October 2020. The reckless use of tear gas and arrests are unacceptable,” the group said on X.
