Five Unanswered Questions From The EndSARS Protest

It has been three years since the Nigerian military opened fire on peacefully seated EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos State, on October 20, 2020.

From the initial denials of any shooting at the Toll Gate to subsequent admissions that live rounds were fired with no civilian fatalities, October 20, 2020, has become a day of mourning for many Nigerians. They remember those who lost their lives in the struggle to end police brutality, extortion, and extrajudicial killings of young people by the Nigerian police.

However, three years after the massacre of Nigerians, borrowing the words of the independent panel set up by the Lagos State government, many unanswered questions remain.

1) Who ordered the deployment of soldiers to the Lekki Toll Gate?

One of the most pressing and lingering questions revolves around the identity of the authority that ordered the deployment of soldiers to the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos on October 20, 2020.

While the government and the military initially denied the presence of the Nigerian army at the Lekki Toll Gate on the night of the shooting, Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, later stated in an interview with CNN, “From the footage that we could see, it seems that men in military uniform, likely from the Nigerian Army, ordered the shooting.”

However, the question of who authorised the military’s deployment to quell a peaceful protest remains unsolved.

2) Who gave the order to the soldiers to shoot at unarmed youths?

Another pressing and deeply troubling question is who issued the order for military personnel to open fire on unarmed protesters when they arrived at the Toll Gate. Disturbingly, the protesters were peacefully seated, waving the Nigerian flag, and singing the national anthem.

The incident at Lekki Toll Gate resulted in injuries and fatalities, and many are demanding accountability for those responsible.

Was the army deployed to the Toll Gate with orders to open fire on an unprovoked and unarmed crowd?

3) How many people were killed?

The exact number of individuals killed during the protests remains uncertain. A leaked memo dated July 19, 2023, revealed that the Lagos State government allocated N61 million for the mass burial of 103 corpses, purportedly EndSARS victims. Following public outcry, the State Government suspended the action but claimed that the bodies were victims of incidents of violence that occurred in the aftermath of the EndSARS protests.

The EndSARS investigation panel set up by the Lagos State Government claimed that at least 46 unarmed protesters were either shot dead, injured with bullets, or assaulted by security forces at the Lekki Toll Gate on the night of the shooting. However, the official figure of those who died during the incident remains unknown.

For many, like Taiwo, remembering the incidents that occurred during the EndSARS campaign will remain a horrifying experience.

“It was a horrible experience. There was a time when we were protesting along Abeokuta Road, and the police started shooting. We ran because of their bullets. Their intention was to disperse us. This is very, very bad. They treat us the way they like,” Taiwo told Neusroom.

4) Have all those injured or killed received compensation from the government?

There is a lingering question regarding how various states and the Federal Government have handled compensation for EndSARS victims. As of October 18, 2021, after the final sitting of the EndSARS Panel, the panel announced the award of N128.2 million as compensation to 24 victims of police brutality.

However, Neusroom reported that the family of Pelumi Onifade, a 20-year-old journalist who was killed by the Nigerian police during the protest, did not receive compensation.

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“At the last sitting, we attended on October 15, 2021, our lawyer had a heated argument with one of the panel officials when they didn’t call our case, but the official told us he would notify us when our case would be treated and told us not to come on Saturday,” Pelumi’s father, Olatunde Onifade, told a Neusroom correspondent.

“We were planning to go on Tuesday, October 19, 2021, only for us to hear that the day had been declared a public holiday. Unknown to us, the panel had also shifted its final sitting to Monday, but the official never informed us,” he said.

It is likely that this is the case for many others across the country who suffered or lost loved ones during the protest.

5) Have those military personnel who opened fire on civilians been identified and punished?

Achieving justice for EndSARS victims necessitates the identification and prosecution of military personnel involved in the killings, harassment, and extortion of Nigerians during the protest. Unfortunately, three years after the Lekki shooting, there are no reports of the identities of those who pulled the trigger, nor have there been any updates on those who gave the orders.

Rinu Oduala, one of the prominent figures during the EndSARS campaign, reacting to the death sentence of Drambi Vandi, the police officer who shot and killed Omobolanle Raheem, a pregnant woman on Christmas Day in 2022, proposed the death sentence for officers found guilty of extrajudicial killing.

“For a very long time, Nigerian police officers have been killing citizens, through the ‘I will shoot you, and nothing will happen’ mentality and getting away with it through the judicial system that sometimes involuntarily shields them through delayed justice,” she said.

Oduala continued, “Any police officer found guilty of extrajudicially killing any Nigerian citizen should be sentenced to death within the shortest time frame possible.”