Politics
By Tennyson Sampson
THE Ministry of Health in Lagos State has approved the request by the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency to conduct a mass burial of 103 victims of the end SARS protest.
The approval was conveyed in a memo dated July 19, 2023 and signed by Olusegun Ogboye, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health.
The memo, which referred to an earlier letter with ref No:L5MH/G/N5/013-1/23, noted the Governor’s approval, minutes of ministerial Tenders Board Meeting, Procurement Planning Committee and Sign-off.
It added that there was no objection to the award of contract to Messrs TOS Funerals Limited at a cost of N61,285,000,00 (Sixty one million, two hundred and eighty-five thousand Naira).
The memo further captured steps for the processing of the funds after approval by the governor.
It would be recalled that EndSARS protests began in May 2020, as a call to end police brutality and extrajudicial killings that have become endemic in Nigeria. Harassment and unfair treatment by the police are rife, and it dates back to the military era when soldiers unlawfully arrested citizens and violated their rights.
Reiterating their demands, the protesters charged the presidency and police hierarchy to not just #EndSARS, but to also end police brutality and then institute police reforms from lower cadre policemen to the highest cadre
In a related development, the Lagos State government, has denied the report in a press statement on Sunday, July 23, 2023.
The statement says the attention of the Lagos State Government has been drawn to some purported social media publications about a purported mass burial plan for the casualties of the 2020 #EndSARS incident.
According to the statement, 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 Toll Gate as being inferred in the mischievous publications.
It said that the Lagos State Environmental Health Unit, SEHMU, 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. That there was also a jailbreak at Ikoyi Prison.
It said the 103 casualties mentioned in the document were from these incidents and NOT from Lekki Toll-Gate as being alleged. For the avoidance of doubt, nobody was retrieved from the Lekki Toll Gate incident.
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July 24, 2023 @ 13:11 GMT|
Tags: Olusegun Ogboye
