Five years after the EndSARS protests, former Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed has once again denied that a massacre occurred at the Lekki Toll Gate, calling the narrative “fake news” fueled by social media and international outlets like CNN.

In an interview on ARISE News promoting his new book Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments That Defined an Administration, Mohammed insisted no one was killed at the site on October 20, 2020, when soldiers opened fire on peaceful demonstrators. “EndSARS was unfortunate, it was tragic, but that there was a massacre at the tollgate is fake news,” he said, arguing that while deaths occurred elsewhere, no families have come forward in five years to report missing relatives from Lekki.

He dismissed CNN’s 2021 investigation—which used satellite imagery, forensic analysis, and eyewitness accounts to conclude dozens were killed—claiming the network relied on “second-hand and third-hand information.” He added: “If a man has a goat and the goat does not come home one night, he will go out and look for that goat. Now, five years on today, nobody has come to tell us that my son or my ward went to the tollgate and didn’t come back.”

The remarks reignite one of Nigeria’s most divisive chapters. The EndSARS movement, sparked by youth demands to disband the rogue Special Anti-Robbery Squad, escalated nationwide after the toll gate shooting. CCTV footage—later deleted by Lagos authorities—showed soldiers advancing and firing. A 2021 Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry confirmed at least nine protesters were killed by live rounds, labeling it a “massacre” and recommending compensation and prosecutions.

Human rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch documented at least 12 deaths at Lekki, while the U.S. State Department condemned “excessive use of force” and the UN called for an independent probe. Survivors and families renewed calls for justice during the fifth anniversary in October 2025, with Lagos paying partial compensation of N10 million per victim.

Mohammed’s comments drew sharp backlash online, with hashtags like #RememberLekkiMassacre trending globally. EndSARS convener Rinu Oduala accused him of “gaslighting survivors,” pointing to ballistics evidence of live ammunition. Rights advocates argue the lack of prosecutions despite panel recommendations exemplifies systemic impunity.

As Nigeria debates police reform ahead of the 2027 elections, Mohammed’s stance underscores unresolved wounds from EndSARS - a movement that unified youth against brutality but ended in crackdowns, frozen bank accounts, and contested narratives.