The Lagos State Government has issued a response to recent social media publications claiming a mass burial plan for victims of the 2020 #EndSARS incident.
The government has accused mischief-makers of deliberately misinterpreting and sensationalizing a letter from the Lagos State Government Public Procurement Agency. The aim is to clarify the situation and counteract misleading information spreading in the public domain.
Setting the Records Straight
The Lagos State Government seeks to correct the misinformation surrounding the supposed mass burial plan. The 2020 #EndSARS crisis resulted in casualties in various parts of Lagos, not limited to the Lekki Toll Gate incident.
The government clarifies that the bodies mentioned in the document were from incidents that occurred in Fagba, Ketu, Ikorodu, Orile, Ajegunle, Abule-Egba, Ikeja, Ojota, Ekoro, Ogba, Isolo, and Ajah areas, as well as a jailbreak at Ikoyi Prison. The casualties did not include any from the Lekki Toll Gate.
Efforts to Identify the Casualties
Following the #EndSARS violence, the office of the Chief Coroner made public announcements and adverts, urging individuals who lost loved ones or had missing relatives between 19th and 27th October 2020 to contact the department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).
The aim was to facilitate the identification of the casualties deposited in state-owned morgues. Relatives were to undergo DNA tests for identification purposes. Despite these efforts, no one came forward to claim any of the bodies.
Decongestion of Public Morgues
The bodies of the unclaimed casualties have remained in state-owned morgues for almost three years, leading to congestion issues.
As part of a periodic and regular exercise approved by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the government initiated a decongestion process for the morgues.
This move was aimed at freeing up space and adhered to strict medical and legal guidelines in the event that a relative may still come forward to claim a lost family member years after the incident.
The decongestion of public morgues was part of a necessary administrative procedure, and the government reiterates its commitment to upholding due process and the welfare of its citizens.
The Reactions
Meanwhile, the clarification has further stirred up reactions from Netizens stating that the Lagos State Government just confirmed the veracity of the viral controversial memo.
The Netizens on a Twitter thread seen by this platform also questioned the government truthfulness in its to have picked up dead bodies across the state excluding Lekki Tollgate where main protest took place
Some of the comments
@Rinu Oduala: Who is Dr Olusegun Ogboye, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health ? It’s a very unbefitting position for a person with such low character.
@Lawrence I. Okoro: You picked up bodies from the streets of Lagos like they are pure water sachets abi?Okay, I pray that the bodies of your loved ones will also be picked up in this manner, so we can also do a tweet without empathy.103 humans lives mean nothing to the govt.
@Mavis Ikpenne: From nobody died during #endsars to 103 bodies dispersed accross lagos.
@Betwizad.com webmaster: Liters of Body on the street of Lagos that Accumulated to 103 without Public Announcement at the time of Occurence for the Purpose of Accountability and Future Outburst Like this ?103 Bodies Picked Around Lagos as Per Strata Waste Management 😂
