Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called on the Federal and Lagos State Governments to apologise to victims of the October 2020 #EndSARS protests, provide compensation and prosecute security personnel responsible for killings and other abuses.
The organisation made the call on Monday, ahead of the sixth anniversary of the October 20, 2020, shootings at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos, urging authorities to acknowledge the violations and implement comprehensive police reforms.
In a statement signed by its Media and Communications Officer, Robert Egbe, CAPPA also urged political parties and aspirants to prioritise justice for victims and police accountability ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The organisation recalled that the protests began as a nationwide campaign against police brutality, particularly abuses attributed to the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), before escalating into demonstrations demanding accountability and respect for human rights.
CAPPA’s Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh, said the government’s response to peaceful protests had compounded victims’ suffering through denials and attempts to dispute their experiences.
She maintained that an apology must be accompanied by official acknowledgement of the abuses, prosecution of those responsible and adequate compensation for victims.
CAPPA cited the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry’s 309-page report, which described the Lekki incident as a “massacre in context” and implicated the Nigerian Army and police in the deaths and injuries of protesters. It criticised the Federal Government’s rejection of the findings and the Lagos State Government’s White Paper disputing aspects of the casualty records.
The organisation also demanded full implementation of a July 2024 judgment by the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, which found Nigeria liable for violating protesters’ fundamental rights and ordered compensation and fresh, independent investigations.
CAPPA further called for justice for 20-year-old journalist Pelumi Onifade, who was arrested by Lagos State Task Force personnel on October 24, 2020, while covering protest-related events in Oko-Oba, Agege.
According to the organisation, an official post-mortem examination established that Onifade died from a gunshot wound to his lower torso. CAPPA demanded the prosecution of personnel and commanding officers allegedly responsible for his death.
The group warned that police brutality and restrictions on peaceful assembly remained concerns, citing the August 2024 #EndBadGovernance protests and allegations of torture, extrajudicial killings, extortion and arbitrary detention at Tiger Base, the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Imo State Police Command.
On proposals for state police, CAPPA cautioned that decentralisation alone would not address Nigeria’s policing challenges without measures to end impunity and hold abusive officers accountable.
The organisation urged the Federal Government to establish a transparent national programme for justice and reparations in collaboration with victims’ families, survivors, civil society groups and the National Human Rights Commission.
It said the programme should include payment of outstanding compensation, medical and psychological support for survivors, prosecution of implicated officers and withdrawal of charges against people prosecuted solely for participating in peaceful protests.
CAPPA also called for the designation of the Lekki Toll Gate as a national historic memorial site and the mandatory use of body-worn cameras by frontline police officers, with secure storage of recordings and penalties for tampering.
The organisation stressed that justice, accountability and meaningful police reforms were essential to restoring public trust and preventing a recurrence of the abuses that triggered the #EndSARS protests.
Source:Myfocusnnews.com
