LAGOS: We’re not allowed to release bodies of #EndSARS protesters — Mainland Hospital

THERE are indications that the whole truth about the incident that happened at the Lekki tollgate on October 20 when soldiers allegedly opened fire on young people agitating against police brutality may not have been unravelled.

This is following some revelations suggesting that there are victims of the event whose corpses are yet to be released to their family members.

Even after a month that the incident happened, the Punch Newspaper reported that the management of Mainland Hospital, Lagos, said it has received a directive from the state Ministry of Health not to release corpses of suspected #ENDSARS protesters.

The #ENDSARS protests had lasted between October 7th and 20th in Lagos and several other states of the federation.

While the protests lasted, relations, friends and associates of missing persons claimed their relations had either been killed or held incommunicado by security agents.

The Chief Coroner of Lagos State, Mojisola Dada, via a public announcement last Wednesday, directed relatives who had lost loved ones between October 19th and 27th to visit the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital to identify and claim bodies of their loved ones.

The public notice by the Lagos State coroner did not, however, state if the bodies that had been scheduled for release also included those of persons who died during the #EndSARS protest.

But when Punch correspondent visited the Mainland Hospital mortuary in Yaba, Lagos, on Friday, the front desk staff said there was a clear directive from the state government for dieners [morgue attendants] to release only the bodies of those who died before and after the #ENDSARS protests.

The Medical Director of Mainland Hospital, Dr. Abimbola Bowale, reportedly maintained what the mortuary attendant had 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 said.

Upon further probing, the MD said, the matter was “at the level of commissioner and governor.”

“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,” he maintained.

Reacting to the development, the Lagos Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said the state government would soon react to the issue via a Press statement.

“The chief coroner issued an announcement on Wednesday 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.