Six years later, no justice for EndSARS victims- CSO calls out FG

Civil Society Organisation, Global Rights, is urging the Federal Government to hold those responsible accountable for the deaths of protesters during the 2020 #EndSARS demonstrations. They are also demanding the implementation of the 2024 ECOWAS Court of Justice judgment, compensation for victims and families, and the protection of citizens’ right to peaceful protest.

Executive Director Abiodun Baiyewu lamented that those responsible for the killings have not yet been brought to justice, noting that at least 135 protesters were extrajudicially killed during the 2020 protests. She expressed concern that these demands, which brought Nigerians to the streets, remain largely unmet while security forces continue to use excessive force against citizens.

Global Rights recorded at least 31 protesters killed by police during the August 2024 #EndBadGovernance protests, and 1,135 protesters, including children as young as 13, were arbitrarily arrested. The organisation warns that the lack of accountability is eroding public trust in government institutions. They recall that the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry found the Nigerian Army and Nigeria Police Force complicit in the Lekki Toll Gate shooting, and the ECOWAS Court of Justice ordered a fresh investigation, prosecution, and compensation in 2024.

However, Baiyewu said the judgment has not been fully implemented, with the perpetrators still at large. She called on the Lagos State Government to explain its response to the judicial panel’s recommendations. Global Rights maintains that government institutions and security personnel must be held accountable for human rights violations.