TOXIC TOLLS

Nigeria: Row over massacre Toll Gate hits Tinubu

By ‘Tofe Ayeni

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Posted on March 25, 2022 09:52

Nigeria Protest Anniversary
People protest at Lekki Toll plaza in Lagos, Nigeria, Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

A plan to restart operations at the Lekki Toll Gate in Nigeria’s commercial capital of Lagos on 1 April has revived demands for the names of the beneficial owners of the complex to be made public along with those linked to a massacre there. Activists speak of a cover-up on behalf of business and political interests in the city.

News about Lekki Toll Gate flashed around the world in October 2020 when soldiers were filmed shooting unarmed #EndSARS protestors at the complex. The Nigerian government is yet to identify those military officers and politicians who ordered what Amnesty International, CNN and other media organisations called a massacre at the toll gate.

Many activists in the #EndSARS movement pointed fingers at Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, claiming that he had a stake in the Lekki Concession Company (LCC) which operates the Toll Gate. Angry protestors tried to burn down the offices of Tinubu’s Nation newspaper and a five-star hotel which he is also said to own.

READ MORE Nigeria 2023: Tinubu gathers allies, pushes against opponents ahead of May Presidential primary

Now one of the leading contenders in next year’s presidential race, Tinubu is also embroiled in a messy legal battle with Dapo Apara, a former managing director of Alpha Beta, the private company which has the sole rights

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