#Endsars: Lagos explains N62m approval for 103 victims mass burial

#Endsars: Lagos explains N62m approval for 103 victims mass burial

 

The Lagos State Government on Sunday confirmed its approval of over N62m for a mass burial of 103 victims of bloody clashes in parts of the state.

It however said none of the 103 bodies approved for the mass burial was recovered from the Lekki tollgate in October 2020 during the #Endsars protest against police brutality.

The state government was responding to a letter which has gone viral dated July 19.

The letter, by the public procurement agency, revealed that the state government engaged the service of Messrs Tos Funeral Ltd, a private firm, at the cost of N61,285,000 to bury 103 bodies tagged “Endsars victims.”

But on Sunday evening, Olusegun Ogboye, a permanent secretary of the state ministry of health, released a statement to shed light on the situation.

Many had alleged that the bodies for the mass burial were of protesters killed by the Nigerian Army at the Lekki tollgate on October 20, 2020.

The incident at the toll gate generated controversies, with some saying people were killed during the incident. But the government denied the claim.

The state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, initially said no one died from the shooting but later said only two persons died.

The judicial panel, in its report, dismissed the government’s claims and confirmed dozens of peaceful protesters were killed at the tollgate by state agents.

But in Sunday’s statement, the government said none of the bodies for mass burial was recovered from the toll gate.

Instead, it said the bodies were recovered from different parts of the state during and after the protests.