The Kwara State government has announced plans to conduct a mass burial for all unclaimed corpses currently held in the morgue of its main hospital, the Kwara State University Teaching Hospital in Ilorin.
The decision follows the hospital’s inability to accommodate more bodies due to an overcrowded mortuary.
The facility, located near the main roundabout along Sawmill and New Market in Taiwo, has exceeded its capacity, prompting authorities to issue a two-week notice to the public.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Yakub Aliagan, Head of Corporate Affairs for the hospital, urged individuals with deceased relatives in the facility to come forward and claim the bodies.
“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.
“The management, therefore, implores the general public to come and retrieve the bodies of their relatives and loved ones within the next two weeks from the time of this announcement, after which the management will consider decongestion through mass burial.”
Reports indicate that some of the unclaimed corpses have been in the morgue for over a decade. Many were brought to the hospital from robbery scenes, auto accidents, and other incidents.
The mass burial is part of efforts to decongest the morgue and create space for new cases.
Authorities are urging the public to take immediate action to avoid losing the opportunity to recover their loved ones’ remains.