Leaked memo sparks outrage in Nigeria: Lagos government approves $77,000 for mass burial of #EndSars protest victim

Nigeria is reeling with outrage following the leak of a memo indicating that the Lagos State government sanctioned $77,000 (£60,000) for a mass burial of 103 individuals allegedly linked to the historic 2020 #EndSars protest against police brutality.

The scheduled burial has shocked many Nigerians, as the victims are believed to be demonstrators who lost their lives during the Lekki toll gate shooting on 20th October during the protests.

The incident, where the military initially denied any fatalities, has remained contentious in terms of the death toll.

While a Judicial Panel of Inquiry reported nine protesters killed and four presumed dead, the government denies that the 103 bodies are related to the Lekki incident, dismissing such interpretations as misleading.

Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, the permanent secretary to the Lagos State's Ministry of Health, clarified that the bodies were collected from various locations across the state after the aftermath of #EndSARS violence and community clashes, which included a jailbreak at Ikoyi Prison.

He further stated that the government approved the mass burial when no families came forward to claim the bodies.

In October 2020, tens of thousands of Nigerians took to the streets to protest against police brutality and demanded the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) police unit.