Governor of Lagos State, Sanwo-Olu, has approved the mass burial of at least 103 protesters who were massacred by joint forces of the Nigerian Army and the police during the October 2020 mass protest against police brutality tagged #EndSARS.
In a letter seen by Peoples Gazette and dated July 19 by the public procurement agency, 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 which were identified to be victims of the killings.
“Following review of your request and based on the information provided therein, the agency has “No Objection” to the award of contract to MESSRS TOS FUNERALS LIMITED at a total cost of N61,285,000 (Sixty-one million, two hundred and eighty-five thousand Naira only) for the mass burial for the 103, the year 2020 Endsars victims,” the letter read.
This move comes almost three years after Sanwo-Olu and his colleagues in government barefacedly denied the brutal killing of unarmed protesters who were waving the Nigerian flag and chanting the national anthem when the military opened fire on them at the Lekki toll gate on the night of October 20, 2020.
Chief press secretary to Sanwo-Olu, Gboyega Akosile, was asked about how this new move reflects on the past denials of the state government, he laughed and simply told The Gazette that “the government will release its response soon.”
The move also comes after a call for identification of missing persons by the Lagos state government was ignored due to several reports of intimidation and harassment, which was meted out to individuals who appeared before the panel of inquiry to make claims that indicted the government.
Sanwo-Olu had issued a white paper to affirm his denial of the findings of the Lagos State’s judicial panel of inquiry, which described the incident as a massacre.
The judicial panel had ruled that nothing could justify the war-grade violence unleashed on peaceful protesters, which led to the death of scores during the incident.
