Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and 40 other leading Nigerian civil society organisations and prominent citizens have condemned the assault on Ms Yemi Adamolekun, the Executive Director of Enough is Enough (EiE) Nigeria, at the Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos State, on October 20, 2025, by Man O’ War volunteers acting on police instruction.
The coalition demanded a public apology from the Lagos State Government, the Lagos State Police Command, and Man O’ War Nigeria to Ms Adamolekun and the Nigerian public; an immediate and transparent investigation into the conduct of the officers and volunteers involved, with disciplinary measures where appropriate; and a clear commitment from the Lagos State Government and the Police to uphold the right of citizens to peacefully assemble and commemorate national tragedies without intimidation or assault.
According to reports, Ms Adamolekun had gone to the Lekki Toll Gate to lay a wreath in remembrance of the #EndSARS protesters who were gunned down at the toll gate by Nigerian security agents on October 20, 2020, as they protested peacefully against police brutality.
In a letter addressed to Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos State governor, which the groups also copied President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and relevant police and Man O’ War authorities, the citizens and civil society groups expressed outrage at the assault on Ms Adamolekun, pointing out that she is a Nigerian citizen who was “engaged in a peaceful and lawful act of remembrance.”
The civil society groups, including Nigeria Network of NGOs (NNNGO), Amnesty International Nigeria, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Global Rights, Yiaga Africa, TechHerNG, Accountability Lab, Hope Behind Bars, We The People, and Middle Belt Concern, among others, stated that they were writing as concerned citizens and citizen groups to express their deep concern and to express their unequivocal condemnation of the assault on Ms Adamolekun. They noted that that the incident was “an act that should have been protected under our democratic guarantees of freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and human dignity.”
Citing the web address of a verified video evidence showing Ms. Adamolekun being accosted and manhandled while laying a wreath, they described the incident as “particularly troubling” because it was carried out “under official supervision,” adding that such actions continued to “undermine the credibility of law enforcement agencies and tarnish the human rights record of both the Lagos State and Federal Government.”
They warned that this pattern of aggression “projects the administration as intolerant of civic participation and devoid of empathy for the citizens it serves.”
Emphasising that this incident is not just about one individual, but about the continuing struggle for civic freedom and accountability in Nigeria’s democracy, they said “To assault a citizen for mourning victims of state violence is to reopen the wounds of #EndSARS,” adding “The government must choose the path of justice and empathy, not intimidation and silence.”
