Lagos State repairs Lekki, Ikoyi tollgates after the state got permission to reopen

The Lagos State Government has repaired the tollgates set ablaze after the End SARS protests in October 2020.

The Admiralty Circle toll plaza on the Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge and the Lekki toll plaza along the Lekki-Epe Expressway – where End SARS protesters gathered for protests to call for an end to police brutality – was set ablaze after unarmed protesters were shot at on October 20, 2020.

Since then, the tollgates have remained shut. Then on Feb 6, 2021, the Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution, set up by the state government to investigate cases of brutality and human rights violations committed by operatives of the dissolved Special Anti-Robbery Squad, gave the LCC permission to re-open the tollgates.

This sparked outrage among youths and the tollgates have remained closed despite the permission to open.

However, the Lagos State Government has now repaired the tollgates ahead of the planned re-opening.

A top government official said the state government was waiting for the panel to complete its task and submit its report before re-opening the tollgates.

He said: “It is true that the tollgate is supposed to have re-opened but we are also gauging the mood of the public especially now that some people are threatening to stage another protest. The panel is supposed to complete its task and submit its final report by the end of this month.

“After the report has been submitted and some recommendations are implemented, then the toll gates could be re-opened.”