The Lagos State Government is set to release dead bodies of missing persons to family members upon identification, according to a statement from the Chief Coroner’s office.

In a public announcement published on The PUNCH Newspaper on Wednesday, the statement revealed that bodies in custody are of people missing form October 19 and 27, 2020.

Although the date falls between the period of the Lekki Shootings on October 20, there is no confirmation at the time of this report that the deceased are #EndSARS protesters who were allegedly killed at the Lekki toll plaza in the state.

According to the statement tagged ‘Coroner’s call for the identification of missing persons’, an identification exercise of the deceased will be carried out at the Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.

The Corona said that the remains of “the deceased shall be released to the next-of-kin for burial” upon verification of identification.

Read the full statement below:

“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. Nationally recognized means of identification such as 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 (2) weeks starting from the date of this Announcement.

“Please note that these next-of-kin shall be required to come with the following: clear photographs of the missing person; 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.”