• Morticians demand payment from govt

By Chibuzor Nwachukwu/Awka

Some 957 unidentified and unclaimed corpses have been lying in mortuaries in Anambra State for six years without the knowledge of relatives.

A total 340 bodies are in Onitsha, 150 (Enugu Ukwu), 77 (Ekwulobia), 70 (Okija), 60 corpses (Orifite) and 60 (Orumba).

Morticians told TheNiche in Awka that these bodies are victims of armed robberies, or accident victims brought by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), or suspected armed robbers and kidnappers killed by policemen in shoot-outs.

Mortuary operators have written to the Anambra State government on the need to evacuate and bury the bodies, saying there is no space to keep fresh corpses.

They said the bodies, being kept in poor conditions, can cause epidemics if not evacuated.

The development came on the heels of alleged plans by the state government to take over the management of the mortuaries without paying the morticians for custody of the corpses.

The Association of Morticians in Anambra has threatened to sue the government if it fails to pay them for keeping the bodies.

Its spokesman, Ozonyia James, argued that former Governor Peter Obi should have done something about the corpses before leaving office or officially handed them over to his successor, Willie Obiano.

Said James: “Those bodies are human beings and relatives to people and they deserve a good burial. They have been there for more than six years and nobody has come to either identify or claim them. We have spent millions of naira taking care of them and the government has not cared to settle us.

“We now learnt that the government wants to take over without considering the huge sums of money that we have spent on those bodies. We know that it is not the fault of [Obiano] but the government is a continuity.

“Since Obiano has the policy of continuity it would be fair and proper for him to pick up our bills before taking over those places.

James said the morticians have little or no space left to keep fresh corpses and the chemicals and other facilities used are grossly inadequate.

He added that if they continue to manage the bodies, they will decompose and cause health hazards to residents in the vicinity of the mortuaries.

He warned that the association may go to court to restrain the government if it attempts to carry out its plan to take over the bodies without paying the bills.

James said the morticians do not want to overheat the polity, and all they want is a peaceful resolution of the matter.

He expressed hope that Obiano, who he said has an understanding mind, will resolve the matter instead of compelling the morticians to take legal action.