In a shocking revelation, the Lagos State Government has
disclosed its intention to hold a mass burial
for 103 victims of the #ENDSARS
protest, as exposed in a leaked memo. This comes three years after both the
state and federal governments had vehemently denied any loss of life during the
October 20, 2022 #ENDSARS protests, which were fueled by widespread anger against
police brutality.
Like many parts of Nigeria, the #ENDSARS protests in Lagos
witnessed thousands of youths demanding an end to police brutality and the
disbandment of the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) known for human
rights violations.
Tragically, the largely peaceful protests turned violent on
October 20, 2022, when security forces launched a crackdown resulting in
several fatalities and numerous injuries.
In response to the public outrage, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, the
Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, issued a statement
refuting that the deceased bodies prepared for the mass burial were not from
the Lekki tollgate.
For years, both the Lagos State Government and the federal
government had consistently denied the extent of casualties during the
protests, despite emotional accounts from witnesses and victims’ families.
The refusal to acknowledge the lives lost during the
demonstrations deepened the frustration and anger among Nigerians, exacerbating
the strained relationship between citizens and the authorities.
The government’s full statement clarified that the casualties
were from various areas in Lagos where violence erupted during the #ENDSARS
crisis, and not from the Lekki Toll Gate as erroneously claimed in the social
media publications. The bodies, numbering 103, were retrieved from locations
such as Fagba, Ketu, Ikorodu, Orile, Ajegunle, Abule-Egba, Ikeja, Ojota, Ekoro,
Ogba, Isolo, and Ajah, including incidents at Ikoyi Prison.
After the #ENDSARS violence, the Chief Coroner’s office had
invited the public through advertisements to identify their lost or missing relatives
from various clashes in the mentioned areas between October 19th and 27th,
2020. However, no one came forward to claim any of the bodies.
Given the unclaimed bodies and to alleviate morgue congestion,
the government decided to conduct a periodic and regulated decongestion
exercise, following careful medical and legal guidelines, with the possibility
of relatives still coming forward to claim their lost ones years after the
incident. The decision was part of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s approved measures
to free up space in public morgues.
