Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has reportedly given the green light for the mass burial of 103 protesters who were allegedly ‘massacred’ during the October 20, 2020 #EndSARS protest at the Lekki toll gate.
This comes in spite of the governor’s repeated denials of any killings taking place during the protest.
According to a letter obtained by Peoples Gazette and dated July 19, the Lagos State public procurement agency revealed that the state government had engaged the services of Messrs Tos Funeral Ltd, a private firm, to handle the burial at the cost of N61,285,000.
The letter stated, “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.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu’s Chief Press Secretary, Gboyega Akosile, commented on the report, stating that “the government will release its response soon.”
It is worth noting that despite the evidence and the findings of the Lagos State judicial panel of inquiry describing the incident as a massacre, Governor Sanwo-Olu had issued a white paper denying the occurrence of any war-grade violence on peaceful protesters, leading to scores of deaths during the incident.
