From Tony Osauzo, Benin
The Edo State Government has scheduled mass burial for dead bodies found at an illegal mortuary located off Ekehuan Road, as well as those at the former mortuary at the defunct Asuen Hospital, First East Circular Road, Benin City.
The State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Obehi Akoria, in a statement, yesterday, called on members of the public who have corpses at the said locations to provide the required evidence to claim such corpse(s) for burial.
She said: “The general public is, hereby, notified that the corpses which were found at an illegal mortuary located off Ekehuan Road in Benin City have been scheduled for mass burial. Similarly, corpses at the former mortuary at the defunct Asuen Hospital, First East Circular Road, Benin City, have been scheduled for mass burial.
“Members of the public who may have corpses at these locations are, hereby, invited to provide the required evidence to claim such corpse(s) for burial.”
The Commissioner said the state government has given a moratorium of 21 days, beginning from the date of publication of the announcement, for the dead bodies to be duly claimed for burial.
“For further clarification, please contact the Director of Regulation and Monitoring at the Ministry of Health – 3rd Floor, Block D, New Secretariat Building, Sapele Road, Benin City.”
Earlier, the state government directed all private hospital owners who run mortuaries, owners and operators of standalone mortuaries, and owners and operators of embalming homes in the state to present their registration documents to the Edo State Ministry of Health before close of business on Friday, September 30, 2022.
“Owners/operators of mortuaries or embalming homes who are not duly registered with the Ministry of Health are advised to obtain the requirements for registration from the Ministry of Health before close of business on Friday, September 9, 2022.
“Owners/operators of mortuaries and embalming 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. Any corpse that has not been so certified should be taken to a government-owned mortuary.”