Lagos State police officers fired teargas canisters at crowds gathered at the Lekki tollgate on Tuesday morning, October 20, 2026, abruptly ending an #EndSARS memorial event organised by the Enough is Enough movement. The dispersal prevented participants, including governorship candidates Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and Funso Doherty, from laying wreaths at the symbolic site.
Memorial Disrupted Before Wreath-Laying
The commemoration was held to mark the anniversary of the October 2020 #EndSARS protests, during which soldiers and security personnel were deployed to the plaza amid nationwide youth-led demonstrations against police brutality. According to The Punch, residents, journalists, and political figures assembled at the toll plaza before officers moved in to clear the area.
Among those caught in the teargas were Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, and Funso Doherty, the governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). Both were present when officers dispersed the gathering.
Video Footage Shows Chaos at Tollgate
Video footage shared by TheCable captured participants scrambling for safety as teargas spread across the area. The dispersal came before any wreaths could be laid, bringing the ceremony to an abrupt end as the Enough is Enough movement had planned.
The Lekki tollgate has become a symbolic site tied to the events of October 20, 2020, when security forces were deployed during the protests. Tuesday's action by officers prevented the planned commemoration from proceeding, leaving the memorial incomplete.
