Governor Sanwo-Olu Lagos State
Unease, controversy, as Lagos plans mass burial for 103 ‘EndSARS’ victims
Lagos Government has reportedly approved arrangements for the mass burial of 103 corpses of EndSARS victims.
It would be recalled that scores of persons were allegedly killed especially at the Lekki Toll Gate, in Lagos during a mass rally organised by mostly youths protesting the brutality, extra-judicial killings carried out by operatives of the now disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria police in October 10, 2020.
Fallout of that clash between soldiers, police on protesters was the constitution of a nationwide panel of enquiry commissioned to investigate the incident which also triggered mass violence across parts of rhe country, with a view to compensating all parties that suffered losses.
In Lagos, the panel indicted the military and police for the killing of unarmed protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate, as the argument hovered over who ordered the military intervention, amid reports that the latter had specific orders to evacuate dead bodies from the scene of the incident.
This is further as the Lagos Government of Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu continued to deny casualty figures from the disturbing incident at the bridge till date, with government supporters accusing surviving protesters of lying against authorities over ‘false killings.’
However, autopsies conducted on at least 99 bodies recovered from various parts of Lagos State during the many days of protests, showed that only three bodies were identified as victims of the Lekki Toll Gate shooting. And that only one from the toll gate died as a result of gunshot injury.
Meanwhile, a letter signed by the Director General of the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, Mr Onafowote Fatai Idowu for the award of the contract TOS Funerals Limited has now surfaced on the media space, detailing a planned burial arrangement for 103 corpses identified as ‘EndSARS’ victims.
While the state government is yet to issue an official on the funeral arrangement, the said letter dated July 19th, 2023 with reference number LA/PPA/NO ONJ/VOL22/213, confirmed that the Mass Burial was planned for 103 victims of 2020 EndSARS protests in Lagos.
According to a letter, the state government engaged the service of Messrs Tos Funeral Ltd, a private firm for the mass burial.
It stated that the state government engaged the firm at the cost of N61,285,000 to bury 103 bodies that were identified to be victims of the killings.
Meanwhile, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sanwo-Olu, Gboyega Akosile said the government will release its response soon.
