LEKKI SHOOTINGS: THE LESSON NOT LEARNED

It's exactly a year since the shootings at Lekki tollgate. Recall, that the #Endsars protest which started online in 2020, later escalated into a physical peaceful protest to end the brutality of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, in response to this, the Nigerian government disbanded the unit and came up with Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit.

The Nigerian youths, whose problem wasn't about the nomenclature, but on the extrajudicial killings by the Police and SARS, extended their demands via the hashtags; #EndPoliceBrutality, #EndSwat. So many youths have complained of harassments and unjustifiable detention by the police and SARS, with accusations of being a party to 'yahoo yahoo' scheme.

Today 20th October, 2021, Nigerian youths commemorate the death of those who was allegedly shot at the protest at Lekki tollgate on 20th October, 2020, footages from the site already shows that the Nigerian Police Force are making arrests of some youths at the Endsars memorial protest.

Amidst the continued down-sliding state of the Nigerian Economy and the rise in insecurity, the year 2020, aside the COVID-19 pandemic, will also be marked as the year the Nigerian youths stood up with one voice to speak against the injustice in the Nigerian system. Those at the helm of affairs will surely not want a repetition, but their body language speaks otherwise.