#EndSARS: Lekki toll gate set to reopens April 1

The Lekki Concession Company Limited, the operators of the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge Toll Plaza, has said it will resume tolling on the bridge.

The company suspended operations at the bridge and the Lekki Toll Plaza after Nigerian soldiers attacked unarmed protesters at the plaza on October 20, 2020.

Lekki Toll Plaza was the ground zero for the protests against police brutality in October 2020. Similar protests were held in major Nigerian cities, including Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.

The protests at Lekki Toll Plaza were largely peaceful and orderly until the unarmed protesters were attacked by Nigerian soldiers on the evening of October 20, 2020.

A judicial panel set up by the Lagos State said the soldiers carried out a “massacre” at the toll plaza.

Apart from awarding monetary compensations to victims of police brutality and the October 20 attack, the panel recommended that “the Lekki Toll Plaza be made a memorial site for ENDSARS Protest: By renaming to ‘ENDSARS TOLLGATE.”

It is also recommended that October 20 of every year be made a toll free day at the plaza.

However, LCC did not say if and when it will resume operations at the plaza that has now become synonymous with young Nigerians’ protests against police brutality.

The company said commuters will not have to pay any fee until two weeks after resumption of operations.

“Tolling will commence on 1st April 2022, but commuters plying the corridor will not have to pay any toll for the first two weeks until 15th April 2022 as this period would be toll-free to all motorists plying the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge,” LCC said in an advertorial published in The Nation newspaper on Monday.

LCC’s Managing Director, Yomi Omomuwasan, said the company decided to resume its operations after “extensive consultations” with, and the support of key stakeholders including the residents associations, traditional rulers and community leaders, professional bodies, as well as the Lagos State Government.

“We have introduced new technology and innovations to make passages at the toll plaza seamless and faster for commuters,” Omomuwasan said.

“We are replacing old toll devices with upgraded ones for faster throughput at the toll plaza. The new devices have been configured to synchronise with the newly upgraded tolling systems and will improve functionality while enabling a better experience at the Toll Plaza.” Courtesy The Guardian