POLICE in Edo State have launched an investigation into happenings at the Benin Central Hospital after it emerged that the corpses of the diseased have suddenly started going missing at its morgue.  

Yesterday, two families who went to the hospital mortuary of the Benin Central Hospital to pick the bodies of their relatives received the shock of their lives as the corpses could not be found. As a result, the situation resulted in a commotion as the aggrieved family members threatened to shut down the hospital before the arrival of policemen, who brought situation under control.

The two alleged missing corpses were those of Abifade Idemudia and Lawrence Agbonlahor. A son of the late Abifade Idemudia, Michael, said he last saw the body of his 54-year-old father three days after it was deposited on November 21, adding that members of the family were in shock over the missing corpse.

Mr Agbonlahor said: “We brought the corpse to this hospital on the 18th of November, 2015 and we came to check on the 21st November when they called me to come and pick his clothes. We did not check again since then but that is where we made the mistake as when we came on Thursday to carry the corpse, it was nowhere to be found and the burial was scheduled for Thursday and Friday.”

Friday Agbonlahor, the deceased's brother, added: “I came to see the body twice in about three weeks to ensure that they take care of it. However, when we arrived today to pick the body, it was nowhere to be found.

“This morning, somebody came to tell us that there was a problem in the mortuary because of missing corpses. I never envisaged this but the hospital management said we should take it easy and that they were going to investigate the matter.”

Some other families who had deposited corpses at the hospital’s morgue were later seen taking the bodies of their departed ones out of the mortuary. There are fears that the corpses could have been used for rituals, which is a common practice across Nigeria where body parts are used to make charms.