The Nigerian Kogi State Government under the leadership of Governor Yahaya Bello on Saturday conducted a mass burial for 130 unclaimed corpses deposited at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) mortuary, Lokoja.
They were all buried at the Felele public cemetery area of Kogi State.
Speaking on the decision to carry out the programme, the General Manager of Kogi Sanitation and Waste Management Board Mrs Elizabeth Arokoyo confirmed that the corpses were given a mass burial after the management team did not identify any of their relatives.
She said that the unclaimed corpses were that of victims of accidents, armed robbers and kidnappers deposited at FMC morgue for months without families or relations coming out to claim them.
She said the corpses deposited at the mortuary by the Police and Federal Road Safety Corps had stayed too long hence, the decision to bury them.
According to her, the law permits the board to bury unclaimed corpses in a bid to ensure that the environment is safe for habitation.
“We made announcement through broadcast and print media organisations for relations of corpses to come and claim them but the efforts did not yield the desired results,” she said.
The general manager reiterated the state government’s commitment towards ensuring that the environment was safe for people to live.
“All the people evacuating and burying these bodies have been sanitised.”
“Just like I said earlier, we have made several announcements on radio, television and other media houses about the unclaimed bodies.”
“But, as I speak to you, nothing was heard from family members, relations, and friends of this Corpses.”
“So they have to be buried because they have been in the mortuary for a long time without anybody coming for them.”