Stolen corpse
For 56-year-old Chijioku Ihunwo of Rivers State, his widowhood story is heart-wrenching. Beyond losing his wife in May 2025, his plan to bury her on December 13, 2025, was thwarted
- How did a body vanish from mortuary in Rivers? Riddle for the police
For 56-year-old Chijioku Ihunwo of Rivers State, his widowhood story is heart-wrenching. Beyond losing his wife in May 2025, his plan to bury her on December 13, 2025, was thwarted by a very bizarre occurrence. The corpse was missing! That was what the family learnt when in November they went there to pay the balance of the mortuary charges.
Before then, the widower had been visiting the mortuary but was advised to stop by the children because he always broke down at the place. His children then took over the responsibility of visiting the Pamax Hospital Mortuary, in Omagwa, where the body was deposited.
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When eventually the children and other family members went to claim the body for burial in November, last year, and were told the body was missing, they reported to the widower who himself went to see the owner of the mortuary that took delivery of the body on the day it was deposited. She assured him that the corpse was available. Curiously, the mortician suddenly ran out through the back door, scaled the fence and ran away.
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This confusion that followed led the man to report the matter to the Omagwa Police Station in the Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State. The police arrested the owner of the mortuary but later transferred the case to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
The widower alleged that the police asked for N200,000 to help him find the corpse. If true, this is serious and curious. Perhaps more curious were the allegations that the owner of the mortuary was released without thorough investigations, and seemingly no attempt to arrest the mortician who scaled the fence. To crown it all, the widower said the police advised him to take the matter to court. This is insensitive, coming from a public agency that should have demonstrated empathy in the circumstance.
Burial all over the world has huge cultural and spiritual significance. In this case, to lose a body kept in a mortuary for preservation is just incomprehensible. To see no remorse from the owner of the mortuary raises a lot of questions.
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So, even the dead cannot rest in peace, if they cannot be safe in mortuary. The other day, there was the story of body parts sales at a private mortuary in Imo State. In that case, the government acted swiftly by sealing the property and setting up a manhunt for the owner and workers. We expect the same from the Rivers State government.
However, this incident is one reason there must be a review of burial rights in some communities in Nigeria. The idea of keeping corpses for months and years should be discouraged, possibly through legislation and enforcement. The idea of the bereaved seeking financial help for burial or even going into debt or selling properties to bury the dead should be discouraged.
The Rivers State government must step in to solve this sad riddle. It is a sad moment for the family and their grief increases with each passing day. Burial gives a closure and provides a sort of presence that is calming. At least the children can grow to pay respect to their mother’s grave. To lose the corpse of a loved one is very depressing. The reality is one that would haunt the family forever.
In the meantime, we hope the widower and the dead get justice. And this can only be possible if the Rivers State Police Command investigates and sanction, where necessary, police officers and others who made things traumatic for this bereaved family.
