On the 20th of October 2020, the Governor of Lagos State, Jide Sanwo-Olu declared a 24-hour curfew across Lagos starting at 4 pm that same day. The announcement was made at 11:49 am and only gave Lagosians approximately 5 hours to spare. This meant that all peaceful protests across Lagos were drawn to a screeching halt. After his announcement, all chaos broke loose as Lagosians attempted to beat the traffic and get home before the curfew. Gridlock traffic, long ques outside supermarkets and thugs barricading roads and demanding money from cars that attempted to get through those areas ensued.
I, therefore, hereby impose a 24-hour curfew on all parts of the State as from 4pm today, 20th October,2020. Nobody, except essential service providers and first responders must be found on the streets.
— Babajide Sanwo-Olu (@jidesanwoolu) October 20, 2020
Thugs have blocked the road leading to Dolphin estate in Ikoyi and they’re demanding for money from cars!! Please stay safe if you’re around this area! #EndSARS pic.twitter.com/6jmkOQyGpN
— IDIAT GBODE (@Idiyat_M) October 20, 2020
Despite the initial 4 pm curfew, peaceful protesters at the Lekki toll agreed to a sit-in. The brave young Nigerians continued to stand their ground against police brutality. In videos shared on Twitter, they can be seen waving the Nigerian flag and singing the national anthem. This quickly went left as tweets from the scene of the peaceful protests started to alert people that the military were shooting directly at peaceful protesters. While the death toll at the Lekki toll gate is yet to be confirmed, there were multiple casualties at the scene. Addressing the nation yet again on Twitter, while the military fired at peaceful protesters, the Lagos State Government tweeted an amendment to the 4 pm curfew and changed it to 9 pm.
Update!
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has directed that enforcement of the 24hour curfew in the State should not start until 9pm to enable people stuck in traffic get to their destinations.@jidesanwoolu @drobafemihamzat #LASG #ForAGreaterLagos #EndSARS pic.twitter.com/De8QJLyCi7
— The Lagos State Govt (@followlasg) October 20, 2020
During these times of peaceful protesting, we’ve seen how social media has been used as a useful tool to share information, update each other as events unfold, and keep those not currently at the scene keyed in. In a country where mainstream media is heavily censored, social media has been an important avenue where stories can be shared, documented and reported unfiltered. Yesterday was no different, as some users used Instagram live to stream what was happening at the Lekki toll. In some videos , we can see individuals trying to save those who’ve been shot and getting people to safe hiding places. It was chilling. Earlier in the day, pictures show the camera’s being disabled at the Lekki toll – a sombre indication of the plans at the scene that evening. Across Lagos, similar atrocities took place as military tanks were also reportedly deployed to Alausa.
Alausa lights have gone off… Military moving in
Please leave that location now!
— Morris Monye (@Morris_Monye) October 20, 2020
It then begs the question, ‘what is the government doing?’. Apart from setting up various committees, tweeting and photo-ops, not much. While military men in uniform shoot at civilians, different government agencies have instead taken to Twitter to voice their concern and condemn the acts. In some cases, like the Nigerian Army’s Twitter, they’ve debunked the hard evidence shown against them.
20.10.2020 was a sobering day. It was a day where we saw innocent people who have been protesting against police brutality being met with more force and violence. The government has guaranteed us in a slew of tweets their commitment to resolving the ongoing tensions but have failed to show us any concrete evidence that they are listening. And if it wasn’t clear before, 20.10.2020 has shown that the government aren’t listening. For a lot of Nigerians, the #EndSars peaceful protesters has been a rollercoaster of intense emotions – grief, frustration, sadness and pockets of hope. We’ve seen the collective effort of those involved in the peaceful protests to ensure that the wellbeing of fellow citizens at the protests are taken care of. From ambulances to therapy, to donations and more – it has been two weeks of constantly negotiating the humanity of Nigerian citizens with the government.
We remember those who were shot at the hands of the Nigerian military. 20.10.2020 is a day of collective remembering of the atrocities the government committed against its citizens.
