The Lagos state government has made a call to all those who have lost family members between 19 – 27th October 2020 to provide identification details in order to confirm if their ward is part of the dead bodies with the state’s pathology team.
The state made this announcement on through an advert in Punch newspapers.
The announcement was signed by the State’s Officer of the Chief Coroner, Hon. Justice M.A Dada (Mrs) in pursuant to Section 15, Coroner’s System Law of Lagos State.
The statement said that the next-of-kin of the victims should go to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) provide both nationally recognised means of identification such as International passport, Driver’s license, National ID card or LASSRA ID Card for both themselves and the victims.
The announcement has raised suspicion that some of the bodies may be linked towards the Lekki shootings that happened on the 20th of October.
The full statement read:
“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 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. Nationally recognised means of identification such as International passport, Driver’s license, National ID card or LASSRA ID Card shall be accepted. Only the parents, siblings or children, in that decreasing order of preference are expected to come to LASUTH. The hours of visit shall be from 10:00am to 2:00pm for the next two weeks starting from the date of this Announcement.
Please note that these next-of-kin shall be required to come with the following:
1. clear photographs of the missing person;
2. 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.
Thank you for your cooperation.
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