After previous calls to make #EndSARS a reality met stiff resistance, this latest campaign left the social media to the streets immediately after the nation marked its 60th independence anniversary. Social media influencers, celebrities, politicians, among other concerned Nigerians, weighed in to demand a reform in the police unit.
For days leading to October 20, there were several twists and turns, culminating in Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, announced that the operations of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) had been dissolved across all 36 states and Abuja with immediate effect.
On Sunday, October 11, the first major gathering of protesters along the Lekki-Epe expressway took place disrupting traffic on the 49.5-kilometer road. It became a daily carnival growing in leaps and bounds until October 20 when at 11:49 a.m. the Lagos State Government announced the imposition of a 24-hour curfew in all parts of the state, with effect from 4 p.m. This was due to the hijacked protests, where hoodlums attacked citizens and destroyed properties.
Around 6:45 p.m. the same day, there was a shooting at the tollgate by the Nigerian military. Lagos issued a directive extending enforcement of its 24-hour curfew from 4 pm to 9 pm, to enable residents stuck in traffic to get to their destinations. About 10 pm, the Lagos State Government ordered an investigation into the Lekki Toll Plaza shooting.
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