Activists feel vindicated by Lekki killings report

By Mayeni Jones

Talk of the report into the killings by security forces of protesters in Lagos last year has dominated social media since it was leaked on Monday night. 

The leaked report said that the Nigerian armed forces intentionally shot anti-police brutality demonstrators at the Lekki Tollgate, then tried to cover it up.

It called the killing of 11 people a "massacre".

And perhaps it's no surprise that social media is awash with comment, given that the End SARS protests started as a hashtag on Twitter before spilling into the streets of Lagos and the world in October of last year. 

Many activists feel vindicated by the findings of the panel. 

A lot of what is included in the report corroborates their accounts of what happened that night. 

“The panel’s report just succeeded in showing us the extent to which the Nigerian state will go in order to cover up a crime,” one of the protest organisers, Rinu Oduala told the BBC. 

“It's just proving to us that actually the Nigerian government did kill people, and more importantly, tried to cover it up.” 

For Akin Olaoye, a protester who fled the country after the demonstrations for fear of reprisals, now’s the time for justice. 

“We expect the government to follow through, make sure there is accountability and ensure that the key players, the people that are culpable, are brought to book. For the military, through a court martial, and for the police through prosecutions. 

"We expect nothing less at this point if we are truly going to get truth and reconciliation.”

This article originally appeared on BBC News.

Photo: Getty Images