The Lagos State Government has claimed that the 103 recovered bodies are not Lekki tollgate victims.
Wakadaily earlier report that in a letter which emanated from the state’s Public Procurement Agency and dated 19th July 2023 shows that governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu approved N6 million for a mass burial of 103 people killed during the EndSARS protest in Lagos on 20th October, 2020.
The post has since generated mixed reactions from people on social media as the governor earlier claimed that no life was lost during the EndSARS protest.
Reacting, the state government through its ministry of health, debunked the report and described it as misinformation to “stir public disaffection against the Lagos State government.”
The statement read: “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.
“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 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.
There was also a jailbreak at Ikoyi Prison. The 103 casualties mentioned in the document were from these incidents and not from Lekki Tollgate as alleged. For the avoidance of doubt, no body was retrieved from the Lekki Tollgate incident.
The list with their autopsies of provable cause and circumstances of death was duly submitted and testified to before the panel. This subpoena was at the request of lawyers who represented #EndSARS protesters and the chief pathologist complied. There was not a single finding in the report or ensuing White Paper attributing the death of any named citizen listed in the autopsy to the Lekki incident,” the government said.
