The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said that many victims of the EndSARS protest that rocked Nigeria last year have already received payment of sums awarded to them by the panels set up by the Federal Government.
Mohammed stated this in a statement on Wednesday tagged: “Phantom Massacre at Lekki tollgate” to mark the one-year anniversary of the protest.
According to him, “Each state, in collaboration with the Federal Government, shall establish modalities for the settlement of all monetary compensations awarded by the panels.
“Already, as resolved by NEC, a number of states have set up Victims Compensation Funds, from which several victims have already received payments of sums awarded to them by the panels.”
It was reported that the EndSARS protests held in October 2020 were against the activities of the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigeria Police Force accused of police brutality.
Youths had gathered at the Lekki tollgate to express their disgust for police brutality and bad governance in Nigeria.
The protesters were dispersed from the location by gun-wielding soldiers, which some people believed led to the loss of lives.
This was followed by the destruction of private and public properties by hoodlums in Lagos State, an incident that informed the latest warning issued by the police in the state.
Meanwhile, some protesters have been arrested by the police.
