The Lagos State government has officially confirmed the payment of compensation to the families of victims affected by the mass shootings at the Lekki Tollgate, carried out by the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Army during the #EndSARS protests on October 20, 2020.
A senior official in the governor’s office disclosed to the *Peoples Gazette* on Monday that the government disbursed over N100 million to victims, despite Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration previously denying any massacre occurred during the protests against police brutality and extrajudicial killings by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
According to the official, the state government acted in accordance with the directive from the Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution established for investigating SARS-related killings and the Lekki Tollgate incident. “What we gave as compensation was even more than that (the N100 million); compensation is legal,” the official stated. “It was after the #EndSARS panel. Remember, they said they should compensate some of those who were wounded. So, if it is that one, there’s nothing hidden about it.”
The official’s remarks came in response to claims made by two leaders of the #EndSARS protests, Banke Oniru and Serah Ibrahim, who stated on Sunday that the state government had offered protest leaders and organizers N100 million. The official accused the activists of reviving an old tweet to create controversy, saying, “If the government sees you as one of those championing this course, and reached out to you, asking if they should give you money to help us disburse to them (victims), that was a harmless thing to do. If you now say, give it to them directly, is that a shady thing?”
The aftermath of the protests, which resulted in the shooting of peaceful demonstrators shortly after Mr. Sanwo-Olu announced a curfew, has been marred by disputes over the number of casualties. Various sources, including security personnel, confirmed to *The Gazette* that there were indeed casualties recorded on the night of the incident, as soldiers fired at protesters who were sitting on the ground, singing the national anthem and waving the Nigerian flag. Initially, Mr. Sanwo-Olu claimed that nobody died, later adjusting the number to just two fatalities.
The Nigerian Army had initially denied its presence at the protest site, claiming that videos and photos from the event were “doctored.” However, it later acknowledged the presence of its officers, asserting that shots were fired only into the air to enforce the curfew.
In June 2021, chief pathologist John Obafunwa, who conducted autopsies on 99 bodies said to be those of slain #EndSARS protesters in Lagos, revealed that three of those bodies were confirmed to be from the Tollgate incident.
