…says 103 mass burial to decongest morgues
…social media critics fires the govt
Hours after the Lagos state government had denied the 103 individuals slated for mass burial were not from EndSARS protest of 2020, the government has now agreed the leaked letter was true.
The government admitted that 103 persons died during the October 2020 EndSARS protests that erupted in the state and resulted in the destruction of multi-million-naira properties.
The state also confirmed plans to conduct a mass burial for the 103 dead bodies which it claimed were picked up from different parts of Lagos during the protest.
It denied, however, that the dead were from the Lekki Tollgate where soldiers invited in by the authorities to quell the protests allegedly shot at armless protesters, a development that escalated what had been a peaceful protest in the state.
The government admitted that Lagos State Environmental Health Unit (SEHMU) picked up bodies in the aftermath of #EndSARS violence and community clashes at Fagba, Ketu, Ikorodu, Orile, Ajegunle, Abule-Egba, Ikeja, Ojota, Ekoro, Ogba, Isolo and Ajah areas of Lagos State, including a jailbreak at Ikoyi Prison, amounting to 103 and would be given mass burial.
The government in a statement signed by Olusegun Ogboye, the permanent secretary in the state ministry of health, titled “Re: Mass burial of EndSARS victims (mischief-makers at work)”, said: “The attention of the Lagos State government has been drawn to some social media publications about a purported mass burial plan for casualties of the 2020 #EndSARS incident. Peddlers of the news are deliberately misinterpreting and sensationalising a letter from the Lagos State Government Public Procurement Agency titled: Letter of no objection – mass burial for the 103, the year 2020 EndSARS victims, to misinform the public, stir public sentiment and cause public disaffection against the Lagos State government.
“While the Lagos State government would not have dignified the mischievous elements peddling such news with a response, we consider it appropriate to set the records straight and draw the attention of well-meaning citizens to the antics of some unscrupulous elements who are hell bent on disrupting the peace and tranquility of Lagos with distorted news and half-truth about the PPA letter.
“It is public knowledge that the year 2020 #EndSARS crisis that snowballed into violence in many parts of Lagos recorded casualties in different areas of the state and not from the Lekki Tollgate as being inferred in the mischievous publications.
“For the records, the Lagos State Environmental Health Unit (SEHMU) picked up bodies in the aftermath of #EndSARS violence and community clashes at Fagba, Ketu, Ikorodu, Orile, Ajegunle, Abule-Egba, Ikeja, Ojota, Ekoro, Ogba, Isolo and Ajah areas of Lagos State, including a jailbreak at Ikoyi Prison.
“The 103 casualties mentioned in the document were from these incidents and not from Lekki Tollgate as being alleged. For the avoidance of doubt, nobody was retrieved from the Lekki Toll Gate incident. In the aftermath of the #EndSARS violence, the office of the chief coroner invited members of the public throughout public adverts and announcement who had lost loved ones or whose relatives had been declared missing between October 19 and 27, 2020 from various clashes as mentioned above, to contact the department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) to help with identification of these casualties deposited in state-owned morgues.”
The state government further said that relatives were to undergo DNA tests for identification purposes. It stated that nobody responded to claim any of the bodies. However, after almost three years, the bodies remain unclaimed, adding to the congestion of the morgues.
“This spurred the need to decongest the morgues – a procedure that follows very careful medical and legal guidelines in the event that a relative may still turn up to claim a lost relative years after the incident. Decongestion of our public morgues is a periodic and regular exercise approved by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to free up space in mortuaries that have a large number of unclaimed bodies,” the PS said in the statement.
Reactions on social media
Rinu Oduala reacts to how the state government never did DNA tests for the families of the victims despite asking them to provide samples.
“Families of #EndSARS victims killed by the police forces showed up btw, looking for the bodies of their loved ones, including Pelumi Onifade’s mother.
“They were asked to drop DNA samples. They dropped. Lagos State government never did any DNA test for the samples collected.”
Serah Ibrahim recounting the experience of October 2020 believes the End Sars incident was the major reason many Nigerians want to change the political dynamics in the country.
“A lot of you do not know half of what happened on the 20th of October 2020 to peaceful #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate.
“Even the Panel that legally confirmed the events after denials by the Government did not even see half of what happened, the little they saw from the families that came was enough to break them into tears during the proceedings.
“The little I saw from where I was lying down while bullets flew across me was enough to break me down for years that I could not even go back to work.
“Those who were present and witnessed this madness from Nigeria’s useless government will never remain the same again. October 20th, 2020 was the major reason a lot of us got our PVC to vote and to change the political dynamics in Nigeria. WE WILL GET JUSTICE.”
JayPee recounts how Governor Sanwo Olu told CNN that no dead body was found at the Tollgate and the government wants to conduct mass burial for said victims.
“Nigeria youths were killed at the Lekki Tollgate on 20-10-2020, but Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu lied on CNN and claimed that no dead body was found at the Tollgate.
“Now, here is evidence from Lagos State Government showing that 103 people died during #EndSars! And no justice has been done. Those who killed them are still walking freely. Nigeria keeps failing us.”
Oby Ezekwesili queries the planned mass burial of End Sars victims.
“Mr. Governor of @followlasg, @jidesanwoolu, here is a document that has gone viral on social media, stating that your government procured services for the mass burial of 103 corpses killed during the #EndSARS protest. Is this so?
“Mr. Governor knew the State had a record of 103 dead bodies from the #EndSARS shootings? We need your urgent response.”
