Authorities of Godfrey Okoye University in Enugu State have issued a 21-day ultimatum to the families of 33 abandoned corpses in the university’s mortuary. The university management announced that failure to comply with the evacuation order within the given timeframe will lead to the institution proceeding with a mass burial for the deceased individuals.
Speaking at a news conference in Enugu, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Christian Anieke, emphasized the necessity of the ultimatum to allow the university to carry out renovations on the mortuary. He revealed that some of the corpses had been in the mortuary for more than 18 years.
Anieke explained that the renovations and upgrades are aimed at making the mortuary suitable for a teaching hospital. He stated, “We have got a court injunction to carry out mass burial of the 33 abandoned corpses in our teaching hospital morgue.”
The Vice Chancellor appealed to families with relatives in the mortuary to come and remove them. He emphasized the importance of treating the situation with sensitivity, noting, “We are talking about human beings here and not animals.”
The Chief Medical Director of the teaching hospital, Prof. Cajetan Nwadinigwe, provided additional details, highlighting that a significant number of corpses lacked proper identification. He mentioned that 14 of the deceased individuals shared the same name, and there were cases where there were no records of dates for some of the corpses.
Nwadinigwe emphasized that the approach to the court and the public announcement were made to inform families about the situation, urging them to come forward for the proper handling of their relatives’ remains.