The African Democratic Congress presidential candidate for the 2027 elections, Atiku Abubakar, has demanded justice for Nigerians murdered during the October 2020 #EndSARS protests in Lagos.

In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Abubakar decried a lack of accountability from the government six years after the incident.

He stated, “Six years after the Lekki shooting, Nigeria is still waiting for a clear answer to one devastating question: Who gave the order? Let us also not forget that in October 2020, Bola Tinubu, rather than demonstrating the empathy and compassion the tragedy demanded, suggested that those who suffered casualties during the shooting had questions to answer. 

“How were they there? How long were they there? What kind of characters are they?” At a moment when Nigerians were demanding accountability for the violence against peaceful protesters, his response appeared more concerned with questioning the victims than demanding answers from those responsible.”

Mr Abubakar, who lamented that the anger across the country today was not a social media performance, noted that it’s grief left to harden into distrust. 

He added, “It is the pain of families still demanding answers, and of young people who watched their calls for dignity meet violence and then watched the country move on without the truth they deserve.”

The former vice president also berated the ruling All Progressives Congress for governing throughout the years without accounting for those murdered during the protests.

“The APC has governed Nigeria through these six years. It cannot keep asking Nigerians to remember the dead while refusing to confront the unanswered questions. A government that cannot give citizens confidence that their lives matter has failed one of its most basic duties,” Mr Abubakar noted.

The politician further accused the APC of failing Nigerians, lamenting the economic hardship in the country.

“And the hardship young people face today deepens that betrayal. Petrol at ₦1,405 a litre means more than an expensive journey. It means less money for food, school, rent and work. It means a young person can do everything asked of them and still find the door to a decent life shut in their face.

“The APC promised renewal. For too many Nigerians, the experience has been rising costs, shrinking opportunity and a future pushed further out of reach. No speech about growth can excuse empty pockets. No anniversary tribute can replace justice. No campaign slogan can erase six years of unanswered questions,” the ADC chieftain stated.

Mr Abubakar challenged the APC to clarify the Lekki Toll Gate incident, noting “Nigerians deserve a government that protects life, and an economy that gives work a chance to lead somewhere.”

Soldiers were accused of killing unarmed protesters who converged on the Lekki Toll Gate to condemn police brutality.

Despite the report submitted by the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and Other Matters, no significant punitive or systemic action has been taken against the perpetrators.