Six years after the violent suppression of the #EndSARS demonstrations, a civic organisation, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), has demanded an unreserved public apology from the Federal and Lagos State Governments.
The group is seeking justice, comprehensive reparations, and structural police reforms for victims of the October 20, 2020, shootings at the Lekki Toll Gate.
CAPPA has called on the Federal and Lagos State Governments to implement the ECOWAS Court judgment and initiate the immediate prosecution of security operatives involved in the #EndSARS crackdown. The regional court found the Nigerian government liable for fundamental human rights violations, ordering fresh independent investigations and financial compensation for the victims of the nationwide protests.
The demonstrations, which began on October 3, 2020, following a viral video of police abuses in Ughelli, Delta State, morphed into a nationwide movement against the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). In a 309-page report, the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry characterised the ensuing military and police crackdown as a massacre in context.
Despite the panel’s findings, state authorities disputed the casualty records. The Federal Government dismissed the panel’s report entirely, while the Lagos State Government issued an administrative White Paper rejecting key aspects of the casualty claims.
CAPPA’s Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh, warned that survivors cannot move past their trauma while the government denies its role, calling on authorities to tender an unreserved acknowledgement of the event.
“A peaceful protest against police brutality was answered with bullets, and the state compounded that violence by disputing the suffering of its victims. An unreserved apology must begin with the government accepting responsibility, naming the wrongs committed, and bringing those responsible to justice.”
The civil society organisation also demanded the prosecution of Lagos State Task Force personnel linked to the death of a 20-year-old journalist, Pelumi Onifade. The young reporter was arrested on October 24, 2020, days after filming a political figure firing live rounds at unarmed protesters in the Abule Egba area of Lagos.
An official autopsy confirmed that Onifade died from a gunshot wound to his lower torso. CAPPA stated that while the medical finding was documented in 2020, it was suppressed until its formal presentation before a coroner’s court in 2026.
The group, while addressing recent civic actions, claimed that the state has maintained a repressive posture towards peaceful assembly. During the August 2024 #EndBadGovernance protests against economic hardship, security forces deployed tear gas and lethal force, resulting in at least 24 documented deaths across the country.
CAPPA flagged the human rights abuses at the Imo State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit, known as Tiger Base, in Owerri. The group warned that ongoing proposals for the creation of state police will fail to protect citizens unless the prevailing culture of impunity and extrajudicial executions is dismantled.
The advocacy group urged the government to establish a transparent national programme for justice in coordination with the National Human Rights Commission, to strengthen accountability and prevent human rights abuse.
The group called on authorities to drop all outstanding charges against individuals prosecuted for participating in peaceful protests. CAPPA also demanded the deployment of body-worn cameras by police personnel and urged the government to designate the Lekki Toll Gate as a national historic memorial site.
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