IN a grim revelation, authorities in Nigeria’s Lagos state have announced plans for a mass burial of 103 individuals linked to the tumultuous anti-police protests that occurred over two years ago. The protests, known as the 2020 ENDSARS demonstrations, witnessed p
rotesters accusing soldiers of perpetrating violence against unarmed demonstrators.
The number of victims associated with the October 2020 protests has been a subject of dispute, and the latest figure is significantly higher than previously reported. In December 2021, Lagos state rejected findings from a judicial panel that claimed security forces carried out a ‘massacre’ of unarmed protesters, asserting that only one person sustained a gunshot wound during the protests.
The epicentre of the violence was at a tollgate in the upscale Lagos district of Lekki, where witnesses identified men, allegedly soldiers, as the perpetrators of the shootings. While rights group Amnesty International reported 12 protester deaths at the Lekki tollgate, the army vehemently denied any involvement.
Local media recently published a leaked letter from the Lagos public procurement agency, instructing a local funeral parlour to prepare for mass burials of ‘2020 END
SARS victims.’ Olusegun Ogboye, the permanent secretary for Lagos state health ministry, confirmed the letter’s existence but refuted reports that the bodies were linked to the Lekki tollgate shooting. Instead, he clarified that the Lagos environmental health unit collected bodies from at least 12 locations across the state following the EndSARS violence and community clashes.
‘The 103 casualties mentioned in the document were from these incidents and NOT from Lekki Toll-gate as being alleged,’ stated Ogboye, seeking to clarify the situation.
The decision to hold mass burials is aimed at decongesting mortuaries, with no relatives coming forward to claim the bodies of the victims.
The ENDSARS demonstrations were held to protest against a police unit known for alleged killings, torture, and extortion. As a result of the protests, the unit was disbanded. However, the unrest came at a significant cost, with 22 police personnel losing their lives, and 205 buildings, including police stations, being damaged during the period of civil unrest.
