The claims of alleged killings at the Lekki Tollgate during the October 2020 #EndSARS protests were not verified, a report by the U.S. Department of State has said.
The protests pitted the Nigerian government against the youth, who rose in violent protests against police brutality, especially by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a unit created to end armed robbery, banditry, and other crimes.
The protesters accused the unit, known by its acronym SARS, of torture, extortion, extra-judicial killings, and rape.
The protests brought upon Nigeria the biggest peace-time social dislocations in recent times, as all forms of economic, business, and social activities were brought to a halt.
The dislocations compounded the impact of the lockdown parts of Nigeria as part of measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The protests started in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, but quickly spread to other cities and towns, forcing all police officers and men to vacate their duty posts.
In Lagos, the protesters occupied the Lekki Tollgate on the Leki-Epe expressway, one of the busiest in Lagos.
“On October 20, members of the security forces enforced curfew by firing shots into the air to disperse protesters, who had gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos to protest abusive practices by the Nigerian Police Force’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS),” the US Department of State report, dated March 30, sai.
“Accurate information on fatalities resulting from the shooting was not available at year’s end.,” it said.
It reported that Amnesty International reported 10 persons died during the event, but the government disputed Amnesty’s report, and no other organization was able to verify the claim. The government reported two deaths connected to the event, the report said.
“One body from the toll gate showed signs of blunt force trauma. A second body from another location in Lagos State had bullet wounds.,” it said.
The government acknowledged that soldiers armed with live ammunition were present at the Lekki Toll Gate.
The report noted that at year’s end the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution continued to hear testimony and investigate the shooting at Lekki Toll Gate.
