Following the uproar caused by the announcement of Burial of Endsars victims in Lagos in July, the planned mass burial has been put on hold, according to the information shared with THE PUNCH by Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, the commissioner for information and strategy for the state of Lagos.
In a leaked memo dated July 19, 2023, the state administration stated that a mass burial would be held for the 103 victims. This caused a stir among civil society organizations and human rights activists.
Amnesty International, a human rights organization, and a group operating under the banner of the Coalition of #EndSARS Protesters and Supporters have urged the state government to halt the mass burial’s schedule.
In addition to the suspension demand, Amnesty International has urged the government to “also carry out transparent coroner inquests and autopsies on the 103 #EndSARS victims.”
In response, the state government stated exclusively to The Punch through Chief Press Secretary to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, that it will “conform to global best practices” in conducting the mass burial.
On Monday, when questioned about the situation, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy stated that the scheduled mass burial “remains suspended to give people ample time to identify their relatives that may be among the corpses.”
When it was revealed that the government intended to bury them all at once, Omotoso stated, “It is to allow more time for identification, as suggested when it was disclosed that the government was planning a mass burial for them.”