Five Years Since Lekki: The Day Nigeria Shot at Its Own Voice
By: Chimdindu Ken-Anaukwu
October 20, 2020.
A date carved into the conscience of a nation that bleeds in silence.
That night, the lights went out at the Lekki Toll Gate. Cameras were turned away. And in the cover of darkness, soldiers opened fire on young Nigerians who were unarmed, waving flags, singing the national anthem:
“Arise, O Compatriots, Nigeria’s call obey.”
But instead of protection, they got bullets.
Instead of dialogue, they got denial.
And instead of justice, they got gaslighted by the very system they sought to fix.
The Spark: When Nigerians Finally Said “Enough.”
It started as whispers on the internet.
Videos of young men brutalized, extorted, and sometimes murdered by those meant to protect them.
The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) became a symbol of fear.
They didn’t fight robbers anymore.
They were the robbers in uniform.
So in October 2020, Nigeria’s youth took to the streets.
No weapons. No violence. Just cardboard signs, raised fists, and one powerful chant echoing across cities:
“End SARS!”
It wasn’t just a protest.
It was a rebirth.
From Lagos to London, Port Harcourt to New York, young Nigerians demanded a country that wouldn’t kill them for owning an iPhone or driving a decent car.
For the first time in a long time, we saw something rare: unity.
The Movement That United a Broken Nation
Tribe didn’t matter.
Religion didn’t matter.
Gender didn’t matter.
Muslims prayed while Christians formed a human shield around them.
Food was shared. Medical tents were set up. Donations flowed. Music, laughter, solidarity, hope filled the air!
It was the Nigeria we always dreamed of: young, selfless, united.
A glimpse of what could be.
A generation without leaders, but with conscience.
And that scared those in power.
The Thugs, the Lies, the Setup
When peaceful protests didn’t die down, the government did what it always does: manufacture chaos.
Suddenly, “protesters” appeared with machetes and clubs.
SUVs unloaded men who didn’t speak like Nigerians, who attacked innocent people, looted shops, burned cars, all while the real protesters filmed everything.
Nigerians knew instantly: these weren’t us.
The unity scared them, so they tried to stain it with blood.
But the real protesters cleaned up the streets the next day.
They danced again.
They sang again.
They waved the flag again.
And that defiance was unforgivable to those in power.
Full video here
The Night the Lights Went Out: Lekki, October 20, 2020
Then came the night that broke Nigeria’s heart.
CCTV cameras were removed.
Billboards were switched off.
Street lights went dark.
And under the cover of that darkness, soldiers opened fire on citizens holding nothing but flags and faith.
People sang the national anthem as they fell.
“Arise, O Compatriots, Nigeria’s call obey...”
But instead of obeying the call, Nigeria turned its guns on its own children.
The Aftermath: Silence, Fear, and Broken Trust
Days turned into weeks of denial.
Government officials claimed no one died.
Reports vanished. Panels of inquiry faded into dust.
And fear returned.
Protesting became a risk too heavy to bear.
You could lose your life, your job, your bank account, your freedom — just for demanding better.
The same leaders stayed. The economy worsened.
Graduates still wander jobless. Police still extort.
Corruption still struts in agbada.
But every October, Nigerians remember.
Not just the bullets, but the betrayal.
NKENNE’s Charge: Rise Again, But Smarter
At NKENNE, we don’t just teach languages.
We teach identity.
Because the greatest weapon Nigeria ever had wasn’t violence; it was unity.
And unity begins with understanding each other.
Language is power. Culture is resistance. Connection is survival.
Five years after Lekki, Nigeria must rise again, not in blind rage, but in organized purpose.
Let the memory of those who died fuel us to rebuild a nation that values life, not destroy it.
The Fire Must Never Die
They wanted us to forget.
They wanted us to believe nothing would change.
But we remember.
Five years later, the pain still burns, and so does the dream.
Of a Nigeria where justice is real.
Where government serves, not slaughters.
Where “Arise, O Compatriots” isn’t just a song but a covenant.
To every young Nigerian still trying to breathe in a country that chokes your hope:
You are the revolution.
And no bullet can silence that forever.
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