The Lekki and Ikoyi Toll Gates are now set to re-open after repairs were carried out on them.
Both toll gates were set ablaze after the EndSARS protests on the 20th of October 2020 when armed soldiers opened fire on the un-armed youths who converged on the venue.
Both plazas where the EndSARS protesters gathered for protests to call for an end to police brutality, have remained shut since then.
However, on the 6th of February 2021, the Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution, set up by the state government gave the LCC permission to re-open them.
The Panel was charged with investigating cases of police brutality and human rights violations committed by operatives of the disbanded Special Ant-Robbery Squad (SARS).
The killing of the youths at the Lekki plaza sparked outrage among them leading to the burning down of the structures. They remained closed in spite of the permission to re-open.
The Lagos State Government has now concluded the repairs ahead of the planned re-opening.
A top government official who spoke to Punch said that the state government was waiting for the panel to complete its task and submit its report before the formal re-opening.
According to him, “It is true that the toll gate 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 the month.
“Ather the report has been submitted and some recommendations are implemented, then the toll gates could be re-opened.“
It appears however, that security operatives are ready to take on any protester that turns up at the plaza to mark the 1-year anniversary of the October 20, 2020 shooting:
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Lekki and Ikoyi Toll Gates Set to Re-open After Repairs (video)