Police operatives in Lagos state have arrested 22 activists at the Lekki tollgate during the #EndSARS 4th anniversary on Sunday.
The anniversary marks the mass killing of peaceful protesters by security forces on October 20, 2020.
NewsBand gathered that the officers dispersed the crowd using teargas, which led to the arrest of some of the activists presently held at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Lagos.
The peaceful protesters accused the police of brutalising them before throwing them into a parked van at the Lekki Tall Plaza.
Speaking from the Police van, Activist Hassan Taiwo Soweto from the Education Right Campaign said, “We are apprehended by a group of police officers under the leadership of the Commissioner Of Police in Lagos. I am right now speaking from a Black Maria. We have been beaten and brutalized and my glasses have been damaged as it was struck away by a police officer without any provocation.
“We are asking here today when the right to commemorate the dead has become illegal and criminalised in this country. We are simply here to mark our brothers and sisters who were brutally killed at the Lekki Toll gate.
“We are asking the international media and the members of the public to prevail on the government, the Tinubu government to stop further attacks on protesters.
“We are never going to give up our right and to continue to demand for justice, “ he said.
Recall that young activists opposing police brutality called for the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) due to ongoing abuses.
In response to the public outcry, the authorities dissolved SARS but the protesters remained steadfast in their commitment, particularly at the tollgate, which has become a symbolic site for the movement.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had imposed a curfew, but demonstrators chose to stay at the tollgate, leading to a military deployment.
Eyewitness accounts reported that soldiers opened fire, resulting in fatalities, a claim refuted by both military officials and the federal government.
But Amnesty International stated that at least 12 protesters lost their lives during the military’s intervention.
