By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Corpses of those killed by soldiers at Lekki toll gate during the #EndSARS protest in October are being held up at the Mainland Hospital, Lagos on the orders of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and cannot be released to their relatives for burial.
The hospital confirmed that it has received a directive from the state Ministry of Health not to release the corpses, per reporting by The PUNCH.
The news debunks the falsehood mounted on November 19 by Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, who brazenly lied that soldiers did not kill any protester at Lekki and dismissed the detailed investigation CNN conducted on the massacre.
Mohammed also called for CNN to be sanctioned. He spoke in Abuja
But two days later, the Nigerian Army admitted on November 21 at the judicial panel of inquiry in Lagos that it issued both live and blank bullets to the troops deployed to attack the protesters on October 20.
The admission came after previous denials.
Sanwo-Olu has denied that he asked for soldiers to carry out the killings at Lekki toll gate, a claim contradicted by the army.
What is not disputed, however, is that the Nigerian Army cannot deploy troops without an order from the chief of army staff on the order of the commander-in-chief, President Muhammadu Buhari.
So the buck for blame for the killings stops at Buhari’s desk.
ICC, U.S. following the case
Amnesty International had reported that soldiers murdered 12 of the protesters, a case that generated global reaction, leading to current investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Geneva.
The ICC may prosecute Buhari for crimes against humanity for ordering soldiers to kill peaceful protesters against police brutality.
The State Department in the United States has also announced that it is following the case of the murder of the unarmed youths, who started a peaceful protest – before it was hijacked by hoodlums who destroyed public and private properties.
UK Parliament debates petition on the killings
In Britain, the Parliament will from 18 hours GMT (7pm Nigerian time) today debate a petition on the killings, which has more than 219,000 signatures.
“We were concerned by violence during recent protests and await the outcome of Nigerian investigations into reports of police brutality. We do not publicly speculate on future sanctions designations,” the British government said in response to the petition.
A notice on the website of the UK Parliament said “the debate will be led by Petitions Committee member Theresa Villiers MP. MPs from all parties can take part, and a Minister from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will respond on behalf of the Government.”
Ban on release of corpses
Front desk staff at the Mainland Hospital mortuary in Yaba, Lagos told The PUNCH on November 20 that there was a directive from the state government for mortuary attendants to release only the bodies of those who died before and after the #ENDSARS protest.
“If an individual was part of the #ENDSARS protest, we cannot identify or do anything about it for now.
“But if the body was brought before or after the protest, I could pass the picture to see if morticians had come across the face in the mortuary.
“Relatives can come when the government lifts the ban on such corpses. We are just waiting for the announcement to be made before we start releasing those bodies to the families,” one attendant, who refused to give his name, said.
Mainland Hospital Medical Director, Dr. Abimbola Bowale, confirmed what the mortuary attendant said.
“It is only the commissioner (of health) or even Mr governor that can release the body to you, Sir. So, you will have to contact him,” he told The PUNCH reporter,
The matter is “at the level of commissioner and governor,” Bowale explained. “It is not within my power. You will have to write to the honourable commissioner for permission before any corpse can be released.
“I hope you know that there is a pending injunction on all #ENDSARS-related cases? With that injunction, I am beginning to think it may take the court, not even the governor or commissioner, to grant such request.
“They may have to involve the Ministry of Justice now. It is now a legal issue.”
Lagos Chief Coroner, Mojisola Dada, had announced on November 18 that relatives who lost loved ones between October 19 and 27 should visit the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) to identify and claim the bodies.
The #ENDSARS protest, which began in Lagos and Abuja on October 7 and spread nationwide, ended abruptly in Lagos on October 20 when soldiers deployed from Bonny Camp opened fire on and killed 12 protesters, and took away all the bodies.
The public notice by the Lagos State coroner reads:
“This is to notify the General Public that the Chief Coroner of Lagos State, Hon Justice M. A. Dada (Mrs.) pursuant to Section 15, Coroner’s System Law of Lagos State, 2015 the Pathology Team would want all those who have lost loved ones between 19th – 27th October 2020 (that is, next-of-kin of the victims) to provide relevant information that would assist the identification exercise.
“The next-of kin should kindly contact the Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Oba Akinjobi Way, Ikeja for the identification exercise of the deceased.
“The next-of-kin will be required to provide means of identification of themselves and their loved ones. Only the parents, siblings or children, in that decreasing order of preference are expected to come to LASUTH.
“These next-of-kin shall be required to come with clear photographs of the missing person and their own upper body photographs; and also provide samples for Reference DNA Profile, where necessary.
“This profile will be compared with those already collected at autopsy from the deceased. It is only after a definitive scientific identification that the bodies of the deceased shall be released by the Office of the Chief Coroner to the next-of-kin for burial.”
Lagos government’s reaction
Information and Strategy Commissioner, Gbenga Omotoso, added that “the chief coroner issued an announcement on Wednesday [November 18] saying people should go and identify the bodies of their loved ones.
“There is a plan to release the bodies after the coroner’s inquest, according to the law. That is to show you the government has nothing to hide.
“I will issue a press statement on that soon. We are still fine-tuning it at the moment,” he said on Friday [November 20].”
No press statement had been issued at the time of filing this report.
Army admits to having live rounds at Lekki protests
CNN reports that the Nigerian army admitted on November 21 that soldiers were given both live and blank bullets when they were deployed to protests at Lekki toll gate on October 20.
The admission seems to confirm a key finding of a CNN investigation into the shooting.
“The soldiers they were both given both live and blank bullets. In this particular case, we saw that these protests had been infiltrated by some hoodlums,” Brig. Gen. Ahmed Taiwo said in his testimony to the Lagos judicial panel of inquiry into the incident.
“You had peaceful protesters no doubt. But there were also hoodlums who sought to take advantage. That is why they were armed (with) blank bullets in addition to the live (bullets) they were carrying.”
This is the first time the Nigerian army has admitted having live rounds at the Lekki toll gate.
The army statement also contradicts previous statements about the incident including from Taiwo himself who told the judicial panel previously that the soldiers were firing in the air and firing blank ammunition.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the army denied any involvement, describing reports of the incident as “fake news,” before backtracking and saying that soldiers were present but fired their weapons in the air and used blanks, not live rounds.
The CNN investigation included evidence that bullet casings from the scene matched those used by the Nigerian army when shooting live rounds, according to current and former Nigerian military officials.
Two ballistics experts also confirmed with CNN that the shape of the bullet casings indicate they used live rounds, which contradicts the army’s previous claim they fired blanks.
CNN’s report was based on testimony from dozens of witnesses, and photos and video obtained and geolocated by CNN. The Nigerian army did not respond to numerous requests for comment prior to the broadcast and publication of CNN’s story.
Verified video footage – using timestamps and data from the video files – shows soldiers who appear to be shooting in the direction of protesters.
And accounts from eyewitnesses establish that after the army withdrew, a second round of shooting happened later in the evening, by police, according to witnesses who spoke to CNN.
