By Prosper Meneย
Lagos, Nigeria โ October 20, 2025ย
Human rights activist Yemi Adamolekun was assaulted by security operatives at the Lekki Toll Gate while attempting to lay flowers in memory of victims killed during the 2020 #EndSARS protests. The incident, captured on video and shared widely on social media, has reignited fury over Nigeria’s unhealed wounds from the youth-led uprising against police brutality.
Adamolekun, Executive Director of the Enough is Enough Nigeria (EiE) coalition, arrived at the iconic site, now a symbol of state violence, on the fifth anniversary of the massacre that claimed at least 12 lives on October 20, 2020.
Eyewitnesses and footage show her being manhandled, pushed to the ground, and prevented from placing the wreath, despite the peaceful nature of the act. EiE Nigeria condemned the harassment in a statement on X, stating, “While peacefully laying a wreath in remembrance of the #LekkiMassacre, #_yemia was harassed by overzealous security agents. Even in honouring the dead, citizens are intimidated.
The confrontation unfolded amid a small gathering of activists marking the somber occasion. Security forces, including police and possibly other agencies, had cordoned off the area, citing potential unrest. Videos circulating online depict officers surrounding Adamolekun, one grabbing her arm forcefully as she protested, “I’m just laying flowers for the dead!” The activist, known for her tireless advocacy on governance and rights, was heard pleading for de-escalation before being shoved away. No arrests were made, and Adamolekun was eventually allowed to leave unharmed but visibly shaken.
Human rights activist Deji Adeyanju swiftly denounced the assault on X, writing, “I condemn the harassment of notable human right activist Yemi Ademolekun of #EiENigeria by security agents who have no respect or regard for human rights in Nigeria.”
Supporters echoed the outrage, with posts like one from Peter Obi Grassroots Mobilization quipping, “Perhaps the security men were afraid of the flowers,” highlighting the absurdity of stifling a memorial gesture. Objectv Media shared footage of the scuffle, captioning it: “Yemi Adamolekun of Enough-Is-Enough (EiE) Harassed at Peaceful EndSARS Memorial in Lagos #EndSARSmemorial.”
The #EndSARS protests erupted in October 2020 as a cry against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), notorious for extortion, torture, and extrajudicial killings. The Lekki Toll Gate crackdown, where soldiers opened fire on unarmed protesters waving Nigerian flags, remains a stark emblem of impunity. A judicial panel later confirmed the massacre, but accountability has been elusiveโfew officers have faced justice, and victims’ families continue to seek compensation.
This latest incident underscores a troubling pattern of suppressing remembrance. In 2022, on the second anniversary, police tear-gassed activists including Adamolekun at the same site.babffc Today, as Nigeria grapples with fresh waves of protests like #EndBadGovernance, critics argue the state views any nod to past dissent as a spark for renewal. Anietie Ewang of Human Rights Watch noted in a recent report that “the country moves on too quickly from events such as the #EndSARS protests, and this is reflective of the impunity within which Nigeriaโs security forces operate.”4e5bf1
As videos of the assault amassed thousands of views, calls for investigation poured in. EiE Nigeria demanded an apology and probe into the officers involved, while online voices trended #JusticeForEndSARS and #RememberLekkiMassacre.
Samuel Ekpeowoh, a legal strategist, posted: “Five years after #EndSARS, and the state is still afraid of flowers… We remember because they want us to forget.” Adamolekun, undeterred, reaffirmed her commitment in a follow-up statement: “We will not be silenced. The dead deserve their flowers, and the living deserve justice.”
With the fifth anniversary shadowed by this fresh violence, activists vow to persist. Memorial vigils are planned across Lagos and beyond, a defiant bloom against efforts to bury the past. For a nation still haunted by Lekki’s ghosts, today’s flowers carry the weight of unfinished reckoning.
