In a statement released by the Coalition of #EndSARS Frontliners, they call for the immediate suspension of the planned mass burial of 103 bodies. The group expresses horror over the planned burial and the response of the Lagos State Government to the leaked memo approving the contract for the mass burial.
According to the statement, Governor Sanwo-Olu has contradicted himself multiple times concerning the deaths at the Lekki Toll Gate incident. The group points out that the governor first said, "Nobody died at Lekki Toll Gate," then changed his statement to, "One person died and it was from blunt trauma to the head," and later stated, "Two deaths have now been confirmed among the protesters in Lekki."
The #EndSARS protesters and investigative journalists firmly believe that many people lost their lives at the Lekki Toll Gate. The Judicial Panel set up by Governor Sanwo-Olu confirmed that there was a massacre at the Lekki Toll Gate and identified nine people killed, with four more missing but presumed dead.
The group accuses the Lagos State Government, the Nigerian military, and the police of being culpable in the massacre of peaceful protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate. According to the report, the military and police shot at peaceful protesters on October 20, 2020, and the military, at the invitation of Governor Sanwo-Olu, removed the bodies of the dead protesters in an attempt to cover up and clean up the crime scene.
The coalition demands that the Lagos State government suspend the planned mass burial and implement the recommendations of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry's White Paper. They also urge the government to establish a one-month notice for citizens to access the 103 bodies in the hopes of identifying their loved ones.
Furthermore, the group calls for a DNA mapping of all 103 bodies using a reputable private organisation and demands compensation and therapy for the trauma caused to families over the last three years.
As #EndSARS protesters worldwide, the group pledges to continue peacefully protesting until justice prevails and will not be silenced or deterred by the government's attempts to discredit their actions.