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… APC Still Owes Nigerians Answers – Atiku
… Never Forget October 20 – Obi
Police operatives on Tuesday fired teargas to disperse protesters, journalists and politicians, including Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and Funso Doherty, during a memorial procession for victims of the October 20, 2020, #EndSARS protests at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos.
Rhodes-Vivour, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, and Doherty, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in the state, had joined other residents to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the shootings.
The procession was organised by the Enough is Enough (EiE) movement to honour those who lost their lives during the anti-police brutality protests.
However, police officers who had gathered at the tollgate before the event began dispersed the participants with teargas, forcing them to flee before the wreaths could be laid.
Some participants reportedly sustained injuries, while others struggled to breathe amid the teargas fumes. The incident also caused traffic congestion on the busy expressway.
The organisers said they had brought 15 wreaths to the venue, including one in honour of Pelumi Onifade, a journalist who was killed in Lagos during the nationwide protests against police brutality.
According to the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry’s report on the October 20, 2020, incident, nine people were confirmed dead, while four others were listed as missing and presumed dead.
The #EndSARS protests drew international attention to allegations of police brutality in Nigeria and led to the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a police unit accused of widespread human rights abuses.
Former Vice President and ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the party still owes Nigerians answers over the Lekki shootings six years after the incident.
In a statement on Tuesday marking the anniversary, Atiku questioned why the circumstances surrounding the shootings remained unresolved, particularly who ordered the deployment of force against the protesters.
He also recalled comments made by President Bola Tinubu in October 2020, when he questioned the presence and character of those who suffered casualties during the incident.
Atiku said the remarks appeared to focus on questioning the victims rather than demanding accountability for the violence against protesters.
According to him, the anger surrounding the anniversary reflects the grief of families still seeking answers and the frustration of young Nigerians who have yet to see accountability for the incident.
He argued that the APC, having governed Nigeria throughout the six years since the shootings, should address the unresolved questions surrounding the incident.
“The anger trending across the country today is not a social media performance. It is grief that has been left to harden into distrust. It is the pain of families still demanding answers, and of young people who watched their calls for dignity meet violence and then watched the country move on without the truth they deserve.
“The APC has governed Nigeria through these six years. It cannot keep asking Nigerians to remember the dead while refusing to confront the unanswered questions. A government that cannot give citizens confidence that their lives matter has failed one of its most basic duties,” he said.
Atiku also linked the anniversary to the economic difficulties facing young Nigerians, citing rising petrol prices, declining purchasing power and the growing cost of transportation.
He recounted the experience of a young woman who reportedly resigned from her job because her salary could no longer cover the cost of commuting to work.
Atiku said the situation illustrated how rising living costs were affecting even employed Nigerians, making it increasingly difficult for them to sustain their livelihoods.
He said his economic recovery plan was designed to make Nigeria more affordable through measures including support tied to locally refined fuel, increased domestic production, protection for minimum-wage earners and student support.
He added that the proposed measures would be funded by cutting government waste rather than introducing additional taxes.
Atiku said young Nigerians deserved both the truth about the Lekki shootings and an economy that allowed them to earn a decent living.
Similarly, the NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has urged Nigerians not to forget the October 20, 2020, Lekki shootings, describing the anniversary as a reminder of the sacrifices made by young people demanding a better country.
In a statement on Tuesday, Obi said peaceful #EndSARS protesters had been met with gunfire during the incident, leaving people dead and others injured.
He said the tragedy had raised enduring questions about justice, accountability and the protection of human life.
Obi urged Nigerians not to normalise injustice, adding that the country needed to protect citizens rather than subject them to brutality.
He said young people should be heard rather than silenced and that government officials must exercise power responsibly and respect human rights.
The former Anambra State governor also expressed the hope that Nigeria would become a country where no citizen was punished for demanding good governance and a better future.
He prayed for the repose of the souls of those who died and said their sacrifice should strengthen efforts to prevent a recurrence of the tragedy.
Obi reiterated his belief that a new Nigeria was possible, describing it as a country where every life mattered.
“As we remember the victims, I reaffirm my belief that a New Nigeria is possible—a country where citizens are protected, not brutalised; where young people are heard, not silenced; and where government power is exercised with responsibility and respect for human rights.
“Nigeria must become a nation where no citizen is punished for demanding good governance and a better future,” he said.
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