The Kogi government has conducted a mass burial for 130 unclaimed corpses deposited at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) mortuary in Lokoja.

Elizabeth Arokoyo, the general manager of the Kogi Sanitation and Waste Management Board, disclosed this on Sunday.

Ms Arokoyo, represented by the acting secretary of the board, Ajayi Olufemi, said the corpses were given mass burial at the Felele public cemetery on Saturday.

She explained that the unclaimed corpses were victims of road crashes, armed robbers, and kidnappers deposited at the FMC morgue for months without families or relations coming out to claim them.

According to her, the law permits the board to bury unclaimed corpses to ensure the environment is safe for habitation. 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.

“We made announcements through the 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 government’s commitment to ensuring that the environment was safe for people.

”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,” she explained. “But, as I speak to you, nothing is heard from family members, relations, and friends of these corpses.”

Ms Arokoyo added, “So they have to be buried because they have been in the mortuary for a long time without anybody coming for them.” 

(NAN)