They said yes to all five demands. Six years after EndSARS, here’s what followed

Within days of the October 2020 #EndSARS protests, the federal government said it accepted all five demands made by protesters. Six years later, the record shows partial delivery on some, disputed or unconfirmed outcomes on others, and no public record of a single prosecution for the Lekki toll gate shooting.

The protests began on October 8, 2020, after a video showed SARS officers allegedly shooting a young man in Delta State. On October 11, protesters set out five demands: the immediate release of all arrested protesters, justice and compensation for victims of police brutality, an independent body to oversee investigation and prosecution of police misconduct within ten days, independent psychological evaluation and retraining of disbanded SARS officers before redeployment, and higher police pay.

What was promised

President Muhammadu Buhari promised in a broadcast on October 9 to disband SARS and reform the police. On October 11, Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu dissolved the unit and, in line with the Police Act 2020, ordered its personnel to report to Force Headquarters for debriefing and psychological and medical examination.

On October 13, presidential spokesman Femi Adesina said the presidential panel on SARS reform had accepted the five-point demand. A forum convened by the police and the National Human Rights Commission agreed that the commission would set up an independent panel within a week. In Lagos, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu ordered the release of arrested protesters and promised ₦200 million in compensation to victims’ families.

Release of protesters

Sources disagree on whether this was fulfilled. One academic case study says arrested protesters were released, while a 2022 Leadership editorial said the only demand the government had met was a small increase in police pay. We could not independently settle the question.

Justice and compensation

This is the most documented demand, and also the most mixed. The Lagos judicial panel led by Justice Doris Okuwobi reported on November 15, 2021, after receiving 235 petitions, 14 of them on Lekki. It said the Army’s actions at the toll gate could in context be described as a “massacre,” and made 32 recommendations. Amnesty International said security forces killed at least 12 people at Lekki and Alausa on October 20, while authorities denied protesters were killed.

About ₦410 million was paid to 70 victims of police brutality, funded by Lagos. Sanwo-Olu later put compensation at ₦420 million. The panel’s Lekki-specific recommendations were treated differently: the white paper, published around November 30, 2021, said Lagos would forward the call for prompt compensation and a trust fund to the federal government and the National Economic Council. Lagos reportedly accepted 11 of the 32 recommendations and rejected the massacre finding.

On prosecution, the panel recommended prosecuting and dismissing those responsible. There is no public record that anyone has been charged. In October 2025, Al Jazeera reported that victims and families said promises of accountability and compensation had not been met, and RULAAC said the commitments had been “largely abandoned.”

An independent body

The forum in October 2020 agreed that the National Human Rights Commission would set up an independent panel within a week. This was to oversee the investigation and rogue prosecution of rogue police officers. States later set up judicial panels, which is a different thing from the standing oversight body protesters wanted. It was also a temporary panel, and no evidence was found for resulting prosecutions.

Psychological evaluation and retraining

The police ordered former SARS personnel to report for psychological and medical examination in October 2020. However, there was no indication the evaluation of former SARS operatives was carried out, and a law-journal review noted that many believe members of the disbanded unit were redeployed without evaluation or sanction.

The Peace Park

The panel had recommended renaming the toll “EndSARS Tollgate,” building a monument with victims’ names and making October 20 a toll-free day. Lagos instead pointed to the Peace Park in Ketu. According to the Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency, the park was set up on the governor’s initiative as a memorial after the October 2020 protests, with a memorial wall and an “iconic chair” monument. It sits on the mainland along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, not at Lekki.

What remains unanswered

Whether anyone will be held to account for the shooting, whether the federal government will act on the Lekki compensation and trust fund recommendations, and whether the protesters’ other demands will be met are questions still left unanswered.