A leaked memo to the Lagos State ministry of Health saying that the state government has approved 61,285,000 Naira for the mass burial of 103 people identified as victims of EndSARS in 2020 has gone viral on social media, sparking outrage.
The July 19, 2023 Memorandum outlines the steps for handling the funds once approved by the Governor.
Previously, a ministerial tender committee meeting would consider the procurement planning committee’s recommendations, after which no objection was raised to awarding a collective burial contract to a funeral service provider.
The leaked five-paragraph memo also states that related taxes and deductions are filed by the licensed company.
In response, the Lagos State Department of Health confirmed the letter, but insisted the details had been misinterpreted.
There was controversy over the number of deaths recorded during the EndSARS protest, prompting the governor to open an investigation led by Judge Doris Okuwobi.
Since the 2020 protests, the Lagos government and the federal government have consistently denied any killing during the EndSARS protests. The memo comes more than two years after protests spread across the country.
The Lagos government has yet to comment on the leaked memo. Thousands of Nigerians across the country have taken to the streets to protest police brutality and call for sweeping reforms, including regarding the police’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
The week-long protests, which gained international attention, culminated in the controversial shooting of protesters at the famous Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos, one of the rallying points of the protesters. See a copy of the leaked memo below.