The EndSARS debacle: Radiological observations in simultaneous upheavals
Article Sidebar
Views | PDF/EPUB Downloads:
7
/ 0
/ 0
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Mass upheavals across Nigeria, especially in Lagos and its environs, ultimately resulted in many deaths. The protesters seized the opportunity of the #EndSARS protest to commit atrocities across the Lagos State and the city of Lagos, in particular on October 21, 2020. Clashes occurred at Lekki Toll Gate, Surulere, Oyingbo, Alausa, Mushin, Ikotun, Agege, and Somolu areas of Lagos, as well as Ikorodu. Prison riots allegedly simultaneously occurred at Ikoyi and Kirikiri prisons. The police and soldiers had been invited to quell the demonstrations, and many people died across the Lagos State at the end of the crisis.
Aim: The aim of the study was to document the different radiological injuries observed following an apparent simultaneous upheaval.
Materials and Methods: Ninety-nine bodies (including body parts) brought from morgues located in five different parts of Lagos and its environs were examined at the departmental facility, adopting standard protocols for mass disaster management. Whole-body digital radiographic skeletal survey and autopsies were done for all cadavers and body parts retrieved.
Results: Ninety-nine bodies/body parts were examined, of which 22 bodies were burnt beyond recognition, making it difficult radiologically to recognize the gender of the victims. The traditional autopsy revealed there were 98 (98.99%) males and one (1.01%) female. Contrastingly, radiological examination positively identified 75 (75.8%) victims as males and 2 (2.0%) as females, while 23 (23.2%) could not be classified. Most injuries were caused by blunt-force trauma, gunshots, and fire, often with incineration.
Conclusion: Deaths in the prisons and other custodial locations were attributed mainly to firearms; the victims from Ikorodu suffered mainly shotgun injuries apparently because the clashes were among rival groups. The victims from Agege were largely incinerated, possibly preceded by a combination of blunt- and sharp-force trauma; these cases presumably resulted from communal clashes. In general, the different though seemingly simultaneous upheavals were heralded and sustained by differing activities, thus manifesting
with varying skeletal injury patterns.
Downloads
Article Details
Section
How to Cite
References
1. Jones M. EndSARS Protests: People ‘Shot Dead’ in Lagos, Nigeria; 2020. Available from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world‑africa‑54624611.
[Last accessed on 2023 Dec 18].
2. Tarila Marclint Ebeide. The Massive Protests in Nigeria, Explained. The Washington Post; 2020. Available from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/10/26/massive‑protests‑nigeria‑explained/. [Last accessed on 2023 Dec 18].
3. Parkinson J. Nigeria protests: Interactive edition. What’s happening and why are people demonstrating against SARS. Wall Street J 2020.
Available from: https://www.wsj.com/articles/nigeria‑protests‑whats‑happening‑and‑why‑are‑people‑demonstrating‑11603277989. [Last
accessed on 2023 Dec 18].
4. Laws of the Federation of Nigeria; 2004. Nigerian Lawyers Directory.Com Research. Available from: https://nigerianlawyersdirectory.com/
research/laws_of_the_federation_of_nigeria_2004_alphabetical_table/. [Last accessed on 2023 Dec 18].
5. Dahab M, Abdelmagid N, Kodouda A, Checchi F. Deaths, injuries and detentions during civil demonstrations in Sudan: A secondary data analysis. Confl Health 2019;13:16.
6. Puspitasari S. Arab Spring: A case study of Egyptian revolution 2011. Andalas J Int Stud (AJIS) 2017;6:160‑77. [doi: 10.25077/ajis.6.2.159‑ 176.2017].
7. Shoot to Kill. Nicaragua’s Strategy to Repress protest. Index: AMR 43/8470/2018. Amnesty International. Available from: https://www. amnesty.org. [Last accessed on 2023 Dec 18].
8. Kaske EA, Cramer SW, Pena Pino I, Do TH, Ladd BM, Sturtevant DT, et al. Injuries from less‑lethal weapons during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis. N Engl J Med 2021;384:774‑5.
9. United Nations Human Rights Guidance on Less‑Lethal Weapons in Law Enforcement. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; 2020. Available from: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CCPR/LLW_Guidance.pdf.opens in new tab. [Last accessed on 2023 Dec 18].
10. Buchanan L, Bui Q, Patel JK. Black Lives Matter May be the Largest Movement in U.S. History. New York Times; 2020. Available from;
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020 / 07/03/us/george‑floyd‑protests‑crowd‑size.html.opens in new tab. [Last accessed on 2023 Dec 18].
11. Haar RJ, Iacopino V, Ranadive N, Dandu M, Weiser SD. Death, injury and disability from kinetic impact projectiles in crowd‑control settings:
A systematic review. BMJ Open 2017;7:e018154.
12. Haar RJ, Iacopino V, Ranadive N, Weiser SD, Dandu M. Health impacts of chemical irritants used for crowd control: A systematic review of
the injuries and deaths caused by tear gas and pepper spray. BMC Public Health 2017;17:831.