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Leaked Memo: 103 Victims For Mass Burial Not From Lekki Tollgate – Lagos Govt

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The Lagos State Government has responded to a leaked memo revealing its approval of N61,285,000 for the mass burial of 103 persons identified as 2020 EndSARS victims, maintaining that the victims to be buried are not from the controversial Lekki Tollgate shooting.

The memo, dated July 19, 2023, capturing steps for the processing of funds after approval by the governor, surfaced on social media Sunday morning, sparking outrage.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Olusegun Ogboye, confirmed the letter in a statement on Sunday evening, but insisted that details were being misconstrued.

The government official argued that the victims were from incidents of violence that occurred in the aftermath of the EndSARS protests.

Ogboye said the Lagos State Environmental Health Unit (SEHMU) picked up bodies in the aftermath of #EndSARS violence and community clashes.

The areas cited included Fagba, Ketu, Ikorodu, Orile, Ajegunle, Abule-Egba, Ikeja, Ojota, Ekoro, Ogba, Isolo and Ajah areas of Lagos State. Ogboye added that there was also a jailbreak at Ikoyi Prison.

“The 103 casualties mentioned in the document were from these incidents and NOT from Lekki Toll-gate as being alleged. For the avoidance of doubt, no body was retrieved from the Lekki Toll Gate incident,” the statement read.

LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

PRESS STATEMENT

RE: MASS BURIAL OF ENDSARS VICTIMS (MISCHIEF MAKERS AT WORK).

The attention of the Lagos State Government has been drawn to some social media publications about a purported mass burial plan for casualties of the 2020 #EndSARS incident. Peddlers of the news are deliberately misinterpreting and sensationalizing a letter from the Lagos State Government Public Procurement Agency titled: Letter of No Objection – Mass Burial for the 103, the Year 2020 ENDSARS victims, to misinform the public, stir public sentiment and cause public disaffection against the Lagos State Government.

It is public knowledge that the year 2020 #EndSARS crisis that snowballed into violence in many parts of Lagos recorded casualties in different areas of the State and NOT from the Lekki Toll Gate as being inferred in the mischievous publications.

For the records, the Lagos State Environmental Health Unit (SEHMU) picked up bodies in the aftermath of #EndSARS violence and community clashes at Fagba, Ketu, Ikorodu, Orile, Ajegunle, Abule-Egba, Ikeja, Ojota, Ekoro, Ogba, Isolo and Ajah areas of Lagos State. There was also a jailbreak at Ikoyi Prison. The 103 casualties mentioned in the document were from these incidents and NOT from Lekki Toll-gate as being alleged. For the avoidance of doubt, no body was retrieved from the Lekki Toll Gate incident.

Contrary to disingenuous narrative weaved around the recently approved mass burial , the #EndSARs Panel subpoenaed the Lagos State chief pathologist to produce full records of unclaimed bodies of dead deposited with state central morgue during the days immediately preceding and following the event at Lekki tollgate on 20/10/20 . The list with their autopsies of provable cause and circumstances of death were duly submitted and testified to before the panel . This subpoena was at the request of lawyers who represented #EndSARS protesters and the chief pathologist complied . There was not a single finding in the report or ensuing white paper attributing the death of any named citizen listed in the autopsy to the Lekki incident.

In the aftermath of the #EndSARS violence, the office of the Chief Coroner invited members of the public through public adverts and announcement (November 18,2020, Punch and November 19,2020 THISDAY) who had lost loved ones or whose relatives had been declared missing between 19th and 27th October 2020 from various clashes as mentioned above, to contact the department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) to help with identification of these casualties deposited in State-owned morgues. Relatives were to undergo DNA tests for identification purposes. It is important to state categorically that nobody responded to claim any of the bodies.

However, after almost three years, the bodies remain unclaimed, adding to the congestion of the morgues. This spurred the need to decongest the morgues – a procedure that follows very careful medical and legal guidelines in the event that a relative may still turn up to claim a lost relative years after the incident.

The Government,therefore, appeals to social media rumour mongers to please allow the hapless families of the unclaimed loved ones a deserved closure.

Dr Olusegun Ogboye
Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Health
July 23, 2023.

See the leaked memo below:

Copy of the Memo

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Emergency: Ibas meets Reps panel today as protests continue

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The River State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd,), has appeared before the House of Representatives Committee overseeing the state’s administration under the emergency rule on Thursday.

The Committee Chairman, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, conducted a closed-door session with committee members, lasting about 50 minutes, but declined to speak to the press afterward.

Journalists were left disappointed as the committee members refused to comment.

The meeting included prominent lawmakers such as Deputy Chief Whip, Ali Isah, and the chairpersons of various House committees, including those for Federal Character, Finance, Water Resources, and Health Services.

The Sole Administrator’s participation at the National Economic Council meeting, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, could explain his absence.

Meanwhile, protests continued in Rivers State as hundreds of women from the Opobo Kingdom marched to demand the immediate reinstatement of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, whose suspension followed the declaration of a state of emergency in the state.

The women rejected the appointment of a Sole Administrator to manage the state’s affairs, calling the emergency rule unconstitutional.

The protest, led by the President of the Opobo Women Association, Felicia Pepple, began with a solemn prayer session at King Jaja Monument Square, with the women wearing black to seek divine intervention.

A cleric, Venerable Michael Dappa, delivered a sermon that inspired the protesters. The women then marched to the Water Side, chanting, “Bring back our Governor,” and sat on the ground in protest.Pepple emphasised the governor’s positive contributions to the state’s development and appealed to President Bola Tinubu to reinstate Fubara:

“We voted for our peaceful and amiable Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara; we say no to emergency rule.” She urged Nigerians to support their cause and decried the hardship faced by the people of Rivers State under the emergency rule.

A resident, Blessing Accra-Jaja, lamented that the town’s once-bustling landmarks, like King Jaja Monument Square and local hotels, had become deserted.

She called on the National Assembly Reconciliation Committee and President Tinubu to reinstate Governor Fubara, hoping it would restore peace and the town’s festive spirit.

The Rivers Women Unite Prayer Group also expressed concern over the ongoing emergency rule, calling on President Tinubu to end the crisis.

They warned that the economy of Rivers State was deteriorating, causing hardship for women, youths, and children.

In a prayer rally held in Port Harcourt, the group urged the president to lift the emergency rule, restore the state’s democratic institutions, and return Governor Fubara to office.

The group’s statement, signed by Dr. Vivian Ige-Elenwo and Chikodi Okpara, appealed for reconciliation and an end to the political standoff, emphasising the need for urgent action to save the state’s economy and improve the living conditions of its people.

The women expressed unwavering support for President Tinubu but remained firm in their demand for justice, equity, and the return of their elected governor.

The statement also called for greater security measures in the wake of recent attacks in Plateau, Benue, and Gombe states, highlighting the need for sustainable peace and development in the country.

Lawyers demand NBA President’s resignation.

Meanwhile, a coalition of prominent legal professionals under the aegis of the Public Interest Lawyers League has called for the immediate resignation of the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe (SAN), and the Chairman of the NBA Annual General Conference Organising Committee, Emeka Obegolu, following controversy surrounding a N300m payment allegedly received from the Rivers State Government.

The group’s demand comes amid growing calls for the NBA to refund the sum, said to have been paid into its coffers by the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, for the hosting of the association’s 2025 Annual General Conference.

Though the NBA has since relocated the conference to Enugu, it maintains that the N300m was a “gift” from the Rivers State Government.At a press briefing on Thursday in Abuja, PILL President, Abdul Mahmud, accused the NBA leadership of compromising the integrity of the association.

He urged them to return the funds and resign immediately to salvage what remains of the association’s credibility.

“The NBA cannot claim to be the watchdog of public morality while engaging in conduct so thoroughly devoid of the very standards it seeks to impose on others,” Mahmud said.

“The insistence of the NBA leadership to hold on to the N300m is not only disgraceful but reflects a deeper rot that has enabled an unaccountable elite within the association to treat the NBA as a personal fiefdom.

”Mahmud stressed that their call for resignation was not punitive, but a necessary first step towards organisational reform. “This moment demands accountability, courage, and leadership,” he declared.

“These resignations are necessary acts of organisational cleansing, aimed at restoring trust and credibility in the NBA.

”PILL further condemned the lack of transparency surrounding the transaction, noting that the revelation came not from NBA leadership, but from the Sole Administrator of Rivers State.

“It was not disclosed in any official NBA communication, nor acknowledged by the Conference Organising Committee. It took an external whistleblower to bring this dark secret to light,” Mahmud said.

“This scandal is not just about money—it is about principle, integrity, and the very soul of the Nigerian Bar Association.”

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Sanwo-Olu Queries Failure of Students in Lagos Public Schools

This was despite the government’s spending of N1,577,794,000 to cover examination fees for 58,188 bona fide students under its free education initiative.

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THE Lagos State Government is not happy that 31,596 students in public secondary schools in the state failed the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE.

This was despite the government’s spending of N1,577,794,000 to cover examination fees for 58,188 bona fide students under its free education initiative.

The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr Jamiu Alli-Balogun, disclosed this during the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing at Alausa, Ikeja.

In the presentation of the education sector’s scorecard of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration, the commissioner stated that despite this significant investment, more than half of the sponsored candidates failed the examination, raising questions about the quality of instruction and student preparedness in Lagos public schools.

Alli-Balogun said: “The state government is committed to relieving parents of the burden of exam fees. But we must also prevent wastage by ensuring only qualified students benefit from this programme.”

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Lexar Launches World’s First Stainless Steel Memory Cards

Both cards feature a Video Speed Class 60 (V60), which allows users to seamlessly capture 6K footage without interruptions.

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Digital photography is much more enduring than its predecessor, analogue photography, but, at least when you expose a roll of old film to the light, the worst you can do is lose a week’s worth of holiday photos or a day’s worth of wedding shots that can never be replaced.

When a plastic SD memory card is dropped, cracked, or bent, it is potentially much more devastating.

You could lose a year’s worth of memories. That’s why photographers across the world are welcoming the launch of the first-ever stainless steel SD memory cards.

Lexar has bought two new products to market, the ARMOR GOLD SDXC™ UHS-II Card and the ARMOR SILVER PRO SDXC™ UHS-II Card.

These two new SD memory cards are the first in the world to be crafted from stainless steel, and using this metal means that they are 37 times stronger than regular SD cards, drop-resistant up to 5m, and meet IP68 for dust and water resistance.

These new memory cards were designed following consultations with professional photographers who complained about the physical damage and wear they experienced with traditional plastic SD cards. Using stainless steel makes the SD cards much stronger and more resilient to bending, snaping and everyday wear and able to withstand the most challenging situations that photographers find themselves in.

Despite being made from stainless steel, the cards still meet the standard size requirements for SD cards so they fit easily into the SD slot in any camera without causing damage to the camera slot and they have undergone extensive testing in Lexar’s quality laboratory to ensure that they don’t overheat or have issues with static electricity.

The design of the cards has also been simplified to eliminate ribs and the write-protection switch, which enhances their strength.

The ARMOR GOLD SD card also has an incredibly fast write speed of up to 210MB/s, while the ARMOR SILVER PRO SD card offers a maximum write speed of 160MB/s (all speeds are based on internal testing, actual performance may vary).

Both cards feature a Video Speed Class 60 (V60), which allows users to seamlessly capture 6K footage without interruptions.

Although much more expensive than their plastic equivalents, starting at around €83, they are affordable and probably worth the extra investment for peace of mind.

Source: Worldsteel.org

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