Amnesty challenges Lagos govt to publish coroner’s report, identities of 103 #EndSARS victims

Amnesty International Nigeria, on Monday, called for a transparent coroner’s inquest into the deaths of the 103 EndSARS protesters, for whom the Lagos State Government is preparing a mass funeral.

This comes after a leaked memo written to the Lagos State Ministry of Health revealed that N61,285,000 had been cleared by the state government for the mass burial of 103 people who had been recognised as 2020 EndSARS victims.

The letter, which was discovered on social media on Sunday morning and is dated July 19, 2023, details the procedures for receiving payments after the governor has given his consent.

The disputed Lekki Tollgate shooting was not the cause of the victims to be buried, according to the Lagos State Government.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Olusegun Ogboye, while confirming the letter, insisted that the victims were from incidents of violence that occurred in the aftermath of the EndSARS protests.

Read Also: Mass burial for 103 #endSARS victims: Lagos govt covering up lies of Lekki massacre —Lawyer

Responding, the Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, in a statement on Monday, said, “The Nigerian authorities must urgently halt their plans to carry out a secret mass burial of #EndSARS victims and instead carry out a thorough and independent investigation into the killings and ensure that those suspected to be responsible are brought to justice in fair trials.

“The authorities must also carry out transparent coroner inquests and autopsies on the 103 #EndSARS victims and publish their identities and the circumstances of their deaths.”

“It is appalling that the Lagos state government has not even mentioned that it has held the bodies of 103 #EndSARS victims in its custody since October 2020,” Sanusi said.

“All those detained because of their role in the #EndSARS protests must be immediately released. The Nigerian authorities must also ensure that victims and their families are provided with access to justice and effective remedies, including adequate compensation.”

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