ICYMI: Three out of 99 bodies examined after #EndSARS protests were from Lekki, says pathologist

John Obafunwa, consultant pathologist to the Lagos state government, says out of a total of 99 bodies examined for autopsy after the #EndSARS protests, three were from Lekki.

In October 2020, Nigerians across the country took to the streets to demonstrate against police brutality under the #EndSARS campaign.

However, on October 20, soldiers invaded the Lekki tollgate, where some demonstrators had gathered, and fired shots.

There has been a controversy around the casualty figures since the incident occurred.

Speaking at the hearing of the judicial panel established to investigate the invasion by soldiers against protesters, Obafunwa said 99 bodies were received for autopsy between October 20 and 24.

He said out of the 99 bodies received, three were brought in from Lekki.

Obafunwa said the remaining bodies were received from other parts of the state including Surulere, Ikorodu, Ajah, Fagba, among others.

“They instructed us to conduct autopsies on bodies that came in between the 20th to 21st and up to about the 24th and we did the autopsies on the bodies, not just Lekki but cases from Ajah, Surulere, Ikorodu, Fagba, Ikoyi prisons and all those things amounting to a total of 99. But I am only here with the three for Lekki,” he said.

On the precise date and time when the bodies were received, the pathologist said he would have to confirm from his records.

“I wouldn’t know how many bodies came on the 21st. I would have to go and check them. But I can tell you that it was between the 20th and 24th that we had to do all the cases,” he said.

Afterwards, Obafunwa explained the findings of the autopsy for each body.

According to him, the first person was brought in from Lekki bridge, and was discovered to have suffered laceration on a side of his skull, but died as a result of bleeding on his “chest cavity and “blunt force trauma to the chest”.

Obafunwa explained that the second male was declared dead in the early hours of October 21, after suffering an open skull fracture, but the pathologist added that there was no sign of gunshot injury.

He said the second body showed signs of having suffered hypertension, as well as rib fracture, but noted that the cause of death was “skull and brain injury which was due to blunt force trauma”.

For the third body, the pathologist said examination revealed that the person died of severe blood loss as a result of complications suffered, following a gunshot injury.

After giving his testimony, Obafunwa was asked to appear again before the panel on June 19 with reports on the 96 remaining bodies.