Immortalizing the lost lives: A vital key in the awakening of a new Nigeria
It’s exactly one week since the shootings at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos occurred. The 20th of October 2020 was a day that shook many citizens as well as international sympathizers and raised so many questions about the so-called democracy of Africa’s most populous nation Nigeria. We would later learn that this carefully orchestrated attack was the government’s response to a nation-wide #EndSARS protest which had been conducted peacefully by the youth, encapsulated a 5-point demand, and was spanning into the third week.
Young Nigerians had gathered to raise their voices for not only police reforms but also to put an end to corruption, clamor for national restructuring, education and employment for the youths. Days before the incident, what started a peaceful protest was later infiltrated by sponsored political thugs who launched attacks against peaceful protesters in Lagos and other parts of the country.
Earlier on the day of the Lekki massacre, a 24-hour curfew was prematurely announced with effect from 4 pm. Anyone who knows Lagos well enough will testify that such an announcement had little chances of being adhered to considering the short designated time for people to return to their homes and families. Mid-day on the 10th of October, the surveillance toll gates’ CCTV cameras were removed. The street lights and billboards which lit the area where the protesters had been camping for days were turned off. Protesters who used service providers from MTN and Airtel experienced network issues and couldn’t make phone calls or send text messages. The Nigerian Military strategically positioned themselves and opened fire shooting into the crowd of unarmed protesters sporadically for 15–30 minutes. Thanks to social media, the attack was being recorded and broadcasted live by the reputable Nigerian DJ Switch who has around a million followers on IG. The tragic aftermath of the ordeal accounted for several severe injuries with multiple deaths after the incident.
The Lagos governor Sanwo Olu in the following statement the next morning vehemently denied records of any casualties, only to later mention that two people lost their lives some days later. Amnesty International has confirmed that 12 people were killed as they proceed with further investigations. It was a dark Tuesday for many Nigerians back home and in the diaspora. The president of Nigeria two days after the incident finally gave a long-overdue 12 minutes pre-recorded speech to address the nation. Many have termed his speech to be unemphatic, uninspiring, and unpresidential as the retired General Muhammadu Buhari made no reference to the Lekki incident and had no words of condolences to the fallen heroes whose young lives where cut short by the military’s extra-judicial killings. In a pre-written script, the President proceeded to warn Nigerians against further protests, insinuated that the lootings and arson were being carried out by the protesters, and in a closing statement mentioned that “we have heard you loud and clear”. Political observers and concerned Nigerians have said that his speech was synonymous with adding salt to injury.
Today, on the 27th of October, the Lagos State Governor Sanwo Olu admitted on CNN that the Nigerian Military was there and present at the time of the attack. One of the popular politicians commonly known as Tinubu, who is known to own the toll gate operations, in an interview implies that the victims of the attack have some explaining to do: “those who […] suffered casualties from the gunshots need to answer some questions too, how are they there, and how long where they there, what type of characters are they?”
This system of ambiguity and inability to take responsibility for hideous actions carried out on its citizens seems to be a tactic weapon which the Nigerian government and elite class have used in absorbing themselves of the crimes they have carried out against humanity.
Three major news channels in Nigeria which covered the #EndSARS protest were recently fined for the coverage of the nationwide unrest. In the next coming weeks or months, the mainstream media which is mostly controlled by the government will try to sway public attention from what we saw that night, reshape the narrative and even deny its occurrence in totality. But our collective voices and energy has sparked a new stream of consciousness. This requires us to take the baton and run spasmodically with it. It is up to us to immortalize those who risked their lives for a better Nigeria. We should use this as fuel to continue this fight for justice. We should remember their names, embed them in our art, and tell these stories to our children as this is vital in the awakening of a new Nigeria.
Freedom is not given but it is demanded and fought for. The activities which have transpired in the last few weeks show that there’s a new awakening for the nation which is being championed solely by the youths whose rights have been denied for too long. Nigerians in the diaspora have shown their solidarity with the movement in countries like the US, Germany, UK, Canada, Finland and Austria by engaging in peaceful protests and raising awareness about the injustices and humanitarian crisis which have plagued our nation for decades.
On twitter, the Nigerian singer Asa said:
“During the protests, they saw a passion, unity and love. They knew it will be their undoing, it will be the end of their manipulation and impunity. They knew we finally understood our power, now they want to destroy us”.
Our condolences and prayers go to the families and loved ones of those whose lives were lost in Lagos and across Nigeria during the protest and as a result of police brutality. The names of the victims from the Lekki massacre will be updated in this article as soon as they are officially published. In the main time I encourage you to add the names of the other victims in the comment section.
