Unclaimed Corpses in Ondo State Morgues to Receive Mass Burial

The Ondo State Government has announced a 21-day deadline for families to claim over 400 unclaimed corpses—most of them unidentified—at its teaching hospital morgues in Akure and Ondo, after which a mass burial will be conducted to address public health concerns.

The Ondo State Government has announced plans for a mass burial of over 400 unclaimed corpses currently held in morgues at the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital (UNIMEDTH) complexes in Akure and Ondo.

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, through his Special Adviser on Health, Simidele Odimayo, directed the immediate burial of the bodies, citing growing public health risks posed by the long-term storage of the corpses.

“The Governor has approved the mass burial of prolonged abandoned corpses in the UNIMEDTH Akure and Ondo complexes,” the statement read.

Breakdown of Corpses:

• Total corpses: 402
• Male: 256
  • Unknown: 205
  • Identified: 51
• Female: 146
  • Unknown: 117
  • Identified: 29
• Total unknown corpses: 322
• Total identified corpses: 80

The government is giving the general public 21 days from the date of the announcement to claim any of the corpses with proper evidence. Families or relatives of the deceased are urged to visit the hospital to identify and collect the remains of their loved ones.

“Arrangements for the mass burial have been finalized. Members of the public are advised to claim their relatives’ remains within 21 days to avoid inclusion in the mass burial,” the statement added.

This decision comes after more than four years of accumulated unclaimed bodies in the facilities, raising serious concerns about sanitation and space.

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SOURCES: ALLSCHOOL, BUSINESS DAY