Enugu Police Deny Dumping 50 Corpses In UNTH Mortuary

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, National News, News Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015

By Ignatius Okpara, Enugu – The Enugu State Police Command has denied reports that it dumped dead bodies of 50 young men at the mortuary of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Ituku Ozalla, Enugu.

Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, the command’s image maker, who reacted to the allegation on in Enugu, said the mortuary’s records should reveal the circumstances surrounding the development.

It would be recalled that the National Human Rights Commission NHRC, had last Friday, in Abuja, raised the alarm that no fewer than 50 corpses, with red marker on them, were dumped by the police in the said morgue.

The commission alleged that the corpses were discovered in the course of investigations into the alleged extra-judicial killing of one Chukwuma Ihezie by operatives of the command’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

According to the NHRC, the 50 corpses were discovered in the same mortuary where Ihezie’s body was deposited.

The NHRC therefore asked the Chief Judge of Enugu State to conduct a coroner’s inquest into the cause of Ihezie’s death, and also investigate the circumstances that led to the alleged dumping of the 50 corpses at the UNTH Mortuary.

The NHRC said the investigations would determine whether the killings were extra-judicial, noting that “extra-judicial execution is a violation of right to life contrary to Section 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended); Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights”.

However Amaraizu, said it was improper to suggest that the police were guilty of extra-judicial killings.

“We have to look at the records, because every corpse that is brought to the mortuary is accounted for, records are kept.

“Every other thing can change, but the records cannot change.

“The records will be able to show who brought the corpses, and the cause of death.

“It could be accident or any other matter, but it is not enough to suspect and accuse the police of extra-judicial killings.

“The hospital has the records so the NHRC should have asked for the records.

“The fact is that the police are not the mortician, neither do the police work in the hospital, so the police cannot be held responsible for the corpses.

Meanwhile, some concerned citizens of Enugu state who spoke to AFRICAN EXAMINER on the issue on condition of anonymity, pleaded with the inspector General of police IGP, Solomon Arase, to as a matter of urgency carry out thorough investigation on the matter.