Mass Burial: UBTH gives six-week ultimatum for 270 unclaimed corpses

The coordinator of the mortuary services said the corpses of the 201 infants had been in the hospital since 2023 while that of the 69 adults were there between April 2021 and December 2022.

The University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) has concluded plans to conduct a mass burial for 270 unclaimed corpses if not claimed within the next six weeks.

Ehizogie Adeyemi, coordinator, Mortuary Services of the hospital, disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Benin on Tuesday.

Mrs Adeyemi gave the breakdown of the corpses as 201 infants and 69 adults, noting that the hospital had in a statement given six weeks ultimatum to the owners of the corpses to claim them.

The coordinator of the mortuary services said the corpses of the 201 infants had been in the hospital since 2023 while that of the 69 adults were there between April 2021 and December 2022.

She said the contact addresses and phone numbers provided by the owners of the corpses to the hospital were no longer reachable or valid.

She added that at the expiration of the six weeks ultimatum, the hospital would conduct a mass burial for the unclaimed corpses if the owners failed to claim them.

The statement earlier issued by the hospital’s management urged owners of such corpses to claim them within a six-week notice, starting from 20 May.
(NAN)