Lekki tollgate: Resumption of tolling shows disregard for citizens, says Aisha Yesufu

Aisha Yesufu, co-convener of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) campaign, says reopening the Lekki tollgate for tolling some months to the general election shows disregard for the lives of Nigerians.

Yesufu spoke over the weekend in an online interview programme — 90MinutesAfrica — hosted by Rudolf Okonkwo and Chido Onumah.

BACKGROUND

On October 20, 2020, protesters, who were protesting against police brutality — #EndSARS protest — were shot at by soldiers at the Lekki tollgate.

The Lekki tollgate incident led to the suspension of tolling by the Lekki Concession Company (LCC).

In February 2021, the state judicial panel on police brutality approved the reopening of the tollgate but the ruling met objections in some quarters.

In November 2021, the judicial panel, in its report, said soldiers deployed in the tollgate “shot at, assaulted and battered unarmed protesters, which led to injuries and deaths” but the Lagos government rejected the panel’s finding.

In March, LCC announced that tolling on the Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge will commence on April 1.

The company said commuters plying the road will not pay any toll for the first two weeks until April 15.

The decision of the LCC to commence tolling angered some Lekki residents, who vowed that there would be no tolling without justice for victims of the Lekki tollgate incident — despite Lagos government’s plea for understanding.

‘NO REGARD FOR CITIZENS’ LIVES’

Speaking on the development, Yesufu said the Lagos government reopened the Lekki tollgate when it had rejected the findings of the judicial panel on killing of protesters.

“One of the things that should really make us sit down and think about our lives as citizens of this country, whether indeed we are citizens or slaves,” the activist said.

“It is fact that less than 10 months to a general election, the government is coming out to reopen a tollgate, where people were killed by soldiers who were brought in by the Nigerian government.

“Innocent citizens who said, “please don’t kill us” were actually killed. They are reopening this tollgate that has such a painful memory, when justice has not fully be given to victims; when the panel that was set up by the state indicted the state and indeed said there was violence met out on the people.

“The state has not done much about the report from the panel. They haven’t even accepted the panel’s report. They have not owed up to what they have done yet they are coming up to reopen the tollgate a few months to election.

“The message they are passing is that they have absolute zero regard for the lives of Nigerian citizens.”