By Idu Jude, Abuja
Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has demanded a public apology from the Federal and Lagos State governments over the October 20, 2020, Lekki Toll Gate shootings, calling for the prosecution of those responsible and comprehensive reparations for victims.
In a statement marking the sixth anniversary of the crackdown on #EndSARS protesters, the organisation demanded official acknowledgement of the killings, injuries and other abuses recorded nationwide during the demonstrations, as well as concrete steps to ensure justice for victims and their families.
It also urged political parties and aspirants to make justice for victims and comprehensive police reforms key commitments in their campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections.
CAPPA said the tragedy of #EndSARS was that a movement against police brutality was met with the very violence it sought to end, leaving survivors and bereaved families still waiting for accountability six years later.
The protests, which spread across Nigeria in October 2020, were sparked by public anger over allegations of torture, extortion and extrajudicial killings by the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The demonstrations subsequently evolved into a nationwide movement demanding accountable policing and respect for human rights.
CAPPA’s Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh, said the government compounded the violence against protesters by disputing their experiences. She maintained that any meaningful apology must begin with an acceptance of responsibility, acknowledgement of the wrongs committed and the prosecution of those responsible.
The organisation recalled that the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry described the Lekki crackdown as a “massacre in context” and implicated soldiers and police personnel in the deaths and injuries of demonstrators.
It faulted the Federal Government’s rejection of the panel’s findings and the Lagos State Government’s White Paper, which disputed the panel’s casualty figures, arguing that the responses had prolonged the struggle for accountability.
CAPPA also cited a July 2024 judgment of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, which found Nigeria liable for violations of protesters’ rights and ordered compensation and further investigations.
It called for the full implementation of the judgment and the publication of a comprehensive report detailing the steps taken by the authorities to comply with the court’s directives.
The organisation said the death of Pelumi Onifade, a 20-year-old journalist who died while covering protest-related events in Lagos, further highlighted the urgent need for criminal accountability.
According to CAPPA, Onifade was attacked and arrested by personnel of the Lagos State Task Force on October 24, 2020, while reporting at the Ministry of Agriculture Abattoir complex in Oko-Oba, Agege.
The organisation said that four days earlier, the journalist had filmed Abiodun Bolarinwa allegedly firing live rounds at unarmed demonstrators in Abule Egba.
It further stated that an autopsy established that Onifade died from a gunshot wound to his lower torso. CAPPA alleged that although the finding was documented in late 2020, it remained suppressed until it was presented before a coroner’s court in 2026.
The group demanded the conclusion of criminal proceedings and the prosecution of any personnel and commanding officers found responsible for the journalist’s death.
Beyond the dispute over casualty figures, CAPPA said its investigative publication, *Lies and the Hail of Bullets: #EndSARS—The Story of Lekki Shootings by Survivors*, documented the lasting impact of the crackdown on victims’ health, livelihoods and families.
It argued that prolonged denial and intimidation had deepened disillusionment among young Nigerians who had believed peaceful collective action could bring about reform. Some participants, it said, were forced into hiding or exile, while survivors continued to grapple with physical injuries and emotional trauma.
CAPPA maintained that subsequent events demonstrated that the grievances which fuelled the #EndSARS protests remained unresolved. It cited the response to the August 2024 #EndBadGovernance protests against economic hardship as another example.
According to the organisation, security forces deployed tear gas, made arbitrary arrests and used lethal force against demonstrators, including minors, with at least 24 deaths documented nationwide.
Ibeh said policies that worsened economic hardship, combined with attacks on citizens who protested against them, deprived Nigerians of both the opportunity to live decent lives and the means to demand better conditions.
She stressed that peaceful protest and freedom of expression were indispensable democratic tools, insisting that governments could not earn legitimacy by intimidating citizens into silence.
The organisation also raised concerns over allegations of torture, extrajudicial executions, extortion and prolonged arbitrary detention at Tiger Base, the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Imo State Police Command in Owerri.
It said the allegations reflected a persistent culture of police violence and impunity that could not be addressed through institutional changes alone.
On proposals for state police, CAPPA warned that decentralising policing without effective safeguards could create additional opportunities for abuse across the country.
It argued that meaningful reform required political commitment to accountable policing, strict regulation of the use of force and swift criminal consequences for officers who violated the law.
CAPPA called for a transparent national programme of acknowledgement, justice and reparations to be developed in collaboration with victims’ families, survivors, civil society organisations, human rights and media-rights groups, and the National Human Rights Commission.
The programme, it said, should provide for the prosecution of implicated officers, payment of outstanding compensation, and sustained medical and psychological rehabilitation for survivors.
The organisation also urged the authorities to withdraw outstanding charges against people prosecuted solely for participating in peaceful protests, including the #EndBadGovernance demonstrations.
It further called for the designation of the Lekki Toll Gate as a national historic memorial site to preserve the memory of those affected by the crackdown.
As part of measures to strengthen police accountability, CAPPA demanded the mandatory use of body-worn cameras by frontline police personnel, with secure storage systems independently supervised and recordings made accessible for lawful investigations.
It also called for penalties for the deliberate deactivation of cameras or tampering with footage, as well as prompt and transparent investigations, disciplinary sanctions and criminal prosecution wherever misconduct was established.
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