Amnesty International Urges Lagos State Government to Halt Planned Mass Burial of #EndSARS Victims

Human rights organization, Amnesty International, has called on the Lagos State Government to immediately cease its planned mass burial of 103 victims of the #EndSARS protests.

The call comes in response to the state government’s acknowledgment of a leaked memo, which was addressed to the state Ministry of Health by the state’s procurement agency.

The Lagos State Government has confirmed the authenticity of the leaked memo but has asserted that the victims to be buried are not related to the controversial Lekki Tollgate shooting, which sparked outrage during the #EndSARS protests.

Amnesty International’s Director of Information, Isa Sanusi, has demanded an independent investigation into the matter, emphasizing the need for autopsies to be conducted on the victims’ corpses. Furthermore, Sanusi has called for the identities of the individuals scheduled for burial to be made public.

In a statement released on Monday, Amnesty International expressed deep concern over the state government’s plans for a secret mass burial and stressed the urgency of conducting a comprehensive and impartial investigation into the killings. The organization insists that those suspected to be responsible for the deaths must be brought to justice through fair trials.

The statement also emphasizes the necessity of transparent coroner inquests and autopsies on the 103 #EndSARS victims. Amnesty International urges the authorities to publish the identities of the deceased and provide detailed information about the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

Isa Sanusi expressed dismay that the Lagos State Government has not disclosed the fact that it has been holding the bodies of these victims since October 2020.

As part of its demands, Amnesty International insists that all individuals detained due to their involvement in the #EndSARS protests be released immediately. The organization underscores the importance of granting the victims and their families access to justice and effective remedies, including appropriate compensation.

The call from Amnesty International adds pressure on the Lagos State Government to address the concerns surrounding the handling of the #EndSARS victims’ remains and to ensure that a thorough and transparent investigation takes place. The plight of these victims and the quest for justice remains a critical issue, and the eyes of both the nation and the international community remain fixed on the developments in this case.