Edo has scheduled a mass burial for the 23 mummified bodies found at an illegal mortuary in Benin.

On August 17, police in Edo announced that they had uncovered a suspected shrine along Asoro Slope, off Ekenhuan Road, in Uzebu quarters, Benin.

Commissioner for Health Obehi Akoria announced the scheduled mass burial in Benin.

Mr Akoria stated that corpses also found at the mortuary of the defunct Asuen Hospital, on First East Circular Road, Benin, would also be given mass burial.

She called on the public who had corpses at the facilities to provide proof to claim them before the mass burial.

“Edo government is hereby giving a moratorium of 21 days beginning from the date of publication of this announcement for the corpses to be duly claimed for burial,’’ the commissioner added.

The government had earlier directed private mortuary owners and operators of embalmment homes to present their registration documents to the health ministry by September 30.

It advised unregistered facilities to obtain requirements for registration from the ministry by September 9.

“Owners and operators of mortuaries and embalmment homes are further informed that every corpse must be duly certified as dead by a competent medical officer before being received into a private mortuary,” the commissioner explained. “Any corpse that has not been so certified should be taken to a government-owned mortuary.”

On August 17, police in Edo said the mortuary operator where the mummified corpses were found did not have a licence to operate the facility.

The police also declared that the principal suspect in the case, Gabriel Otu, did not acquire any formal training to manage a mortuary or practise as a mortician.

Mr Otu had worked as an attendant in different mortuaries, the police added.

Among the 23 bodies found was one without a skull. Police also found effigies at the scene. 

(NAN)