Former Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has attributed the escalation of the 2020 #EndSARS protests to the widespread circulation of fake news and disinformation. Speaking at a forum at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) on Friday, Mohammed described misinformation as the government’s most significant challenge during the crisis, noting that it transformed a legitimate public outcry into a nationwide upheaval.
The #EndSARS protests began on October 8, 2020, as peaceful demonstrations calling for the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a controversial unit of the Nigerian Police Force known for allegations of brutality, extortion, and human rights abuses. The movement gained rapid momentum on social media through the #EndSARS hashtag, leading to mass protests in several cities across the country. The Lekki Toll Plaza in Lagos State emerged as a central gathering point and symbolic hub of the demonstrations, which intensified and spread nationwide despite government efforts to address the concerns raised.
The protests were triggered by a viral video showing SARS officers assaulting and allegedly shooting a young Nigerian on October 3, 2020, in Ughelli, Delta State. This incident, widely shared on platforms like Twitter and WhatsApp, galvanized public anger and drew international attention to systemic police brutality in Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the Head of Strategic Communications at his media office, Nnamdi Atupulazi, the former minister elaborated on how the situation deteriorated as misleading content spread across both traditional and digital platforms. “The problem we had was not the usual communication gap between the government and the citizens. It was fake news and disinformation, coupled with unbridled violence,” Mohammed said. He added that the biggest challenge came when the government deployed troops to the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos to disperse the protesters. “That’s when fake news and disinformation escalated,” he noted, referring to the controversial October 20, 2020, incident where soldiers opened fire on protesters, resulting in multiple casualties and sparking global outrage.
Mohammed also criticized international media coverage, singling out CNN for relying on what he alleged were unverified or manipulated reports. He argued that such coverage contributed to heightened tensions and shaped global perceptions of the incident. “What we saw during EndSARS was the dangerous power of disinformation in real time,” the ex-minister added, emphasizing how false narratives can amplify social unrest and undermine public trust.
Reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic, Mohammed noted that Nigeria had to develop its communication strategy without any clear precedent, as the last comparable global health crisis—the Spanish Flu—had occurred more than a century earlier. “When COVID-19 broke out, there was no template to fall back on. So we had to devise our own communication strategy on the go,” he said. To counter misinformation, authorities adopted a multi-channel communication approach, including daily briefings and outreach in local languages. “We produced a wide range of advocacy and communication materials, translated them into major indigenous languages and pidgin, and then disseminated them across traditional and digital platforms,” Mohammed explained. He added that the government launched live radio programmes nationwide to sustain public dialogue and conducted weekly opinion polls that showed approval ratings of between 97% and 98%, which he cited as evidence of the effectiveness of these strategies.
On security communication, Mohammed recalled a media tour of territories formerly held by insurgents in the North-East, which he said helped counter prevailing narratives about the conflict. “That trip was a turning point. For the first time, journalists were able to see firsthand that those territories had been reclaimed, and that normalcy was gradually returning,” he said. This approach, he argued, provided concrete evidence to debunk exaggerated claims of insecurity and demonstrated the government’s progress in the fight against insurgency.
The ex-minister also highlighted town hall meetings held across the country as part of efforts to improve engagement between the government and citizens. “Each meeting was an unscripted session that enabled government ministers to speak on a chosen theme and then take questions from the people,” he added, emphasizing the importance of direct, transparent dialogue in building public trust.
Mohammed further defended the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria in June 2021, describing it as a considered decision taken after attempts to address concerns over misinformation and divisive content failed. “Despite repeated efforts by the government to secure cooperation in curbing misinformation, incitement and divisive content, these concerns were largely unaddressed,” he said. The suspension, which lasted seven months, was widely criticized by free speech advocates but was framed by the government as a necessary measure to protect national security and social cohesion.
The LSE engagement concluded the former minister’s three-day UK speaking tour, where he addressed audiences on leadership, governance, and public communication, drawing from his book ‘Headlines & Soundbites: Media Moments That Defined an Administration’, which reflects on his tenure as Nigeria’s government spokesman from 2015 to 2023. Beyond the LSE, he also visited Abbey College Cambridge and St John’s College, Cambridge, engaging with students and academics on the role of media in shaping public discourse.