Five years after the tragic events of October 20, 2020, at the Lekki Toll Gate, the echoes of gunfire and the cries for justice still haunt Nigeria’s collective memory. That night, peaceful young Nigerians—armed only with their voices and dreams—were met with bullets. The #EndSARS protest was never a rebellion; it was a call for dignity, accountability, and the right to live without fear in their own country.
Today, that same cry for justice resonates again—this time through the call to #FreeNnamdiKanu. Though the names and faces have changed, the message remains painfully familiar: fairness must not depend on identity, and justice must not be selective. Whether or not one agrees with Kanu’s ideology, his prolonged detention raises an urgent question—why does the law in Nigeria often bend to power instead of principle?
In a statement released to mark the fifth anniversary of the Lekki Toll Gate massacre, Balarabe Rufai, National Youth Leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), reaffirmed the party’s unwavering stance on justice and accountability.
“We, the Youth Wing of the ADC, refuse to forget,” the statement read. “We stand for justice without bias, reform without pretence, and leadership grounded in empathy. Our generation will not surrender its voice to fear or its future to corruption.”
The ADC Youth Wing condemned the government’s continued silence on the #EndSARS justice panels’ findings and the detention of citizens for expressing dissent. It called on authorities to release all unjustly detained individuals, including Nnamdi Kanu, and to uphold the rule of law without prejudice.
“The government owes the people truth,” Rufai emphasized. “It must honour the memory of #EndSARS victims not with words but with action—through transparent policing, humane governance, and equal justice for all.”
For the ADC Youth Wing, remembering October 20 is more than a ritual of mourning—it is a declaration of vigilance. The statement concluded with a powerful reminder:
“To forget is to betray. To remember is to rebuild. The youth of the ADC choose remembrance. We choose courage over silence and justice over fear. Nigeria belongs to all its citizens, and until every voice can speak freely, the promise of democracy remains unfinished.”
As the nation marks another October 20, the call from Nigeria’s youth rings clear: justice delayed remains justice denied, and the struggle for a fair, free, and humane nation continues.
