The Kwara State Government has announced plans for a mass burial of all unclaimed corpses currently at the Kwara State University Teaching Hospital (KWASU-TH) in Ilorin. The decision comes as the hospital’s morgue has reached maximum capacity, leaving no space for additional bodies.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Head of Corporate Affairs at KWASU-TH, Yakub Aliagan, disclosed that the hospital is giving the public a two-week window to claim unclaimed bodies. After this period, the hospital will proceed with a mass burial to decongest the morgue.
“The management of Kwara State University Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, wishes to announce to the general public that its mortuary is filled beyond capacity with no available space due to unclaimed bodies,” the statement read. “We implore the public to retrieve the bodies of their relatives and loved ones within the next two weeks from the time of this announcement. After this period, the management will proceed with decongestion through mass burial.”
Reports indicate that some of the unclaimed corpses have been in the morgue for over a decade. They include bodies retrieved from scenes of robberies and auto accidents.
The teaching hospital, located at a central location along the Sawmill and New Market axis in Ilorin, has urged residents to act promptly to claim their relatives’ remains and prevent the mass burial of their loved ones.
This development highlights the growing issue of unclaimed bodies in public facilities, prompting calls for improved identification processes and public awareness to address the situation.
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