Aiyedatiwa Orders Mass Burial for 402 Corpses in Ondo

Fidelis David in Akure

Ondo State Governor, Lucky has ordered the immediate burial for over 400 abandoned corpses currently overcrowding morgues in the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital (UNIMEDTH) complexes in Akure the state capital and Ondo town.

THISDAY gathered yesterday that , no fewer than 402 bodies have been left unclaimed in the facilities over the last four to five years, raising public health concerns.

However, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, in a directive conveyed through his Special Adviser on Health, Prof. Michael Simidele Odimayo, ordered the immediate burial of the corpses to prevent potential hazards to the people of the state.

The statement titled, “List of Unknown and Abandoned Bodies in UNIMEDTH Ondo and Akure Complexes” noted that the government has given families a 21-day ultimatum to identify and reclaim the remains of their relatives before the mass burial exercise.

“Out of the 402 corpses, 322 remain unidentified, while 80 have been identified but left unclaimed. Records show that 146 are female (117 unknown, 29 known) while 256 are male (205 unknown, 51 known).”

He further urged members of the public to present valid evidence when claiming the bodies of their loved ones before the expiration of the ultimatum.