The Anambra State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to rigorously enforce the state’s existing laws prohibiting the retention of corpses in mortuaries beyond two months. This move aims to address the persistent issue of abandoned and unclaimed bodies accumulating in facilities across the state, some dating back several years.
The decision emerged from a strategic high-level meeting convened by government officials and key stakeholders, including frontline Igbo leader and APGA chieftain Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka, popularly known as Ogilisi Igbo.
During the session, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Ben Obidike, outlined plans for a comprehensive statewide registration and data-collection exercise targeting all public and private mortuaries. Operators are required to register or renew their registration and provide detailed submissions within three weeks, including:
– Total corpses received in the past year;
– Current number of corpses in custody;
– Duration each corpse has remained unburied;
– Identification of abandoned (families known but unresponsive) and unclaimed (no identifiable next of kin) bodies; and
– Available reasons for non-claim or abandonment.
Dr. Obidike emphasized strict compliance, warning that failure to meet the deadline would render any non-compliant mortuary illegal and subject to full legal sanctions. He reiterated that Anambra’s Burial and Public Health laws explicitly prohibit keeping corpses beyond two months, empowering the government to assume custody and arrange dignified disposal for unclaimed remains after that period.
Investigations, he noted, have uncovered violations in various locations—including parts of Nnewi—where bodies have lingered for six to ten years or more, in direct contravention of the law.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Obiageli Uchebo, highlighted that the exercise will help quantify overstaying corpses and bolster regulatory oversight. She added that targeted enlightenment campaigns will educate mortuary operators and the public on legal requirements to promote voluntary compliance.
Commissioner for Environment, Engr. Dr. Felix Chinedu Odimegwu, underscored the public health and environmental hazards of prolonged corpse retention, calling for swift and decisive action.
Ogilisi Igbo Raises Spiritual Concerns
Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka (Ogilisi Igbo) delivered a passionate intervention, linking the prolonged storage of corpses to broader spiritual and societal challenges. He stressed the urgency of enforcing the two-month limit to restore harmony:
“Any corpse that has stayed for more than two months, according to Anambra laws, should find a way to eternal glory, because they are causing us spiritual problems. You hear unknown gunmen, zombies that possess our youths that are stubborn. Once a corpse goes to eternal glory, sorrow disappears.
I didn’t know that Anambra State has a law on corpses, but since there are laws, I eventually discovered that there is a law forbidding corpses to last more than two months in the mortuary.
We are trying to apply it for the first time, so every mortician, every mortuary should come up with any corpse that has lasted more than two months. Now that we have entered February, we will say any corpse from 2025 downward. If you go to mortuaries, corpses of six, seven, eight, nine, even ten years are there in Nnewi and other places.
If these corpses are removed, the angels will come and help us. Angels can’t help a society littered with corpses.”
“On a last note, I, Ogilisi Igbo is also using this opportunity to commend the Anambra State House Of Assembly who promulgated the law and above all, kudos to the Governor who signed it into law. And that law must be 100 per cent exercised, implemented, that any mortuary that harbours a corpse more than two months in Anambra State are enemies of the state. All morticians and mortuaries must ensure that no corpse in their custody is beyond two months. Any corpse of 2025, and the ones that have stayed for several years must all be evacuated from all Anambra mortuaries. All must be evacuated from all Anambra mortuaries, so that Oluatuegwu can work in peace.
So that those who are returnees can see where they will live in peace. Kudos to the Governor who signed the law, and kudos to the House of Assembly that promulgated the law.”
The meeting concluded with resolutions to issue a formal public notice, ensure widespread dissemination of the policy, and actively engage mortuary operators and residents. Officials emphasized that the enforcement drive seeks to safeguard public health, uphold the dignity of the deceased, and promote orderly, culturally sensitive mortuary practices throughout Anambra State.
This collaborative effort signals a renewed push toward compliance, blending regulatory action with cultural and spiritual perspectives for holistic progress.
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