US expects Buhari, Sanwo-Olu to take findings of Lekki toll gate shooting panel seriously

Security forces attacked the protesters at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos on October 20, 2020 in an aggressive attempt to dismantle the symbolic stronghold of historic demonstrations against police brutality.

Eyewitnesses reported numerous fatalities from the night, but the government has run an aggressive counter-campaign insisting no one was killed by security agents.

A judicial panel of inquiry set up days after the shooting finally submitted its report on Monday, November 15, 2021, confirming the claims of eyewitnesses that a massacre happened.

The panel established that at least nine protesters were killed, with four others missing presumed dead.

“We look forward to the Lagos State government’s response as part of a process that represents an important mechanism of accountability regarding the #EndSARS protests and the events that took place near the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020,” the U.S. Mission in Nigeria said in a statement on Tuesday, November 16.

The Mission urged Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and President Muhammadu Buhari to take suitable measures against the alleged abuses recognised by the judicial panel.

The panel will be headed by the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), with members listed as Commissioner for Youths and Social Development, Segun Dawodu; Special Adviser, Works and Infrastructure, Aramide Adeyoye; and Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office, Tolani Oshodi.