Lekki tollgate reopening: Youths threaten fresh protest

Etim Effiong

Nigerian youths have threatened fresh protest at the Lekki tollgate over plans to reopen the toll plaza for operations.

Hashtags like #RevolutionNow and #OccupyLekkiTollGate have been trending on Twitter after news of the ruling that the tollgate should be reopened for repairs.

As of Monday morning, some youths have already begun to make display banners calling for another protest on their social media accounts.

The ‘planned’ protest is supposed to start on Saturday, February 13, 2021, at 7 am.

Some of the posters have inscriptions such as “No justice, no reopening”, and “Occupy Lekki tollgate,” among others.

It was earlier reported that the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry probing the alleged killing of #EndSARS protesters by soldiers at the Lekki tollgate had, on Saturday, approved the reopening of the tollgate.

However, four out of the nine members of the panel faulted the report of the forensic experts hired to comb the scene for evidence.

The four members who faulted the forensic report also rejected the application by the Lekki Concession Company, operator of the Lekki tollgate, to take possession of the facility, which had been shut down since the probe of the shootings started.

The four members who rejected the forensic report are the two representatives of the civil society – Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN) and Ms. Patience Udoh; as well as the two youth representatives on the panel – Rinu Oduala and Temitope Majekodunmi.

However, the chairman of the panel, retired Justice Doris Okuwobi, and four other members of the panel acceded to LCC’s request to repossess the tollgate.

The chairman was backed by Segun Awosanya (popularly known as Segalink), Oluwatoyin Odusanya (Director, Citizens Rights), DIG Taiwo Lakanu (retd.) (representing the police), and Lucas Koyejo (from the National Human Rights Commission).