Some activists as well as celebrities have converged at the Lekki tollgate, Lagos state, and other parts of the country today (Thursday), to hold rallies to commemorate the second anniversary of the #EndSARS protests.The memorial disclosed in a flier shared by entertainer, Folarin Falana, aka Falz the Bahd guy, on his Instagram page, will see participants walk and drive through the tollgate where the Nigerian army allegedly opened fire on armless protesters who were demanding an end to police brutality. Part of the flier read: “#EndSARS Memorial 2.0 procession. In memory of those who were killed on October 20, 2022 and those we have lost to police brutality, we will walk and drive through the toll gate, blast horns, sing and chant in unison through the toll gate, while we wave our flags.”
Meanwhile, the police in their reaction to the rallies warned against violence. Heavy police presence, with about 25 police cars and one black maria, can be seen at both sides of the toll gate.
Organisers and victims of the protests have called for full implementation of the reports of judicial panels of inquiry set up by the state governments to probe the protests.
Similarly, President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, signed into law the Nigerian Startups Bill 2022, aimed at putting an end to the nationwide harassment of youths carrying laptop computers, among others.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, who made the disclosure while briefing newsmen in the State House, Abuja, indicated that with the new legislation, the Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Council will also be chaired by the President.
With the new development, Pantami explained that rather than the Minister lobbying law enforcement agencies to stop the act of harassment, the chairman of council only needs to give a directive, which will be obeyed promptly by those who misconstrue laptop-bearing youths for Internet fraudsters.
