James Omirenya, son of an Ogun State-based farmer from Benue State, tells EMMANUEL OJO, about the pains the family is passing through over the disappearance of the corpse of their father, Joel Omirenya, at the Sacred Heart Hospital’s mortuary in Abeokuta
Can you recall the events that led to the disappearance of your dad’s corpse at the mortuary?
My father died in a private hospital owned by a Catholic Church in Abeokuta. When he died, they took him to the hospital morgue. He was supposed to be there till April 2; the time we planned to pick him up. I went there to check his corpse on March 10, and I saw his body there. I called a mortician by the name Olaade John, who is the senior mortician on that March 10 to inform him that on April 3, which was a Monday, we would be taking the corpse home, and he told me that he won’t be around. I pleaded that he needed to make the corpse ready for pickup on Sunday because where we would be taking the corpse to is far. I told him we were going to Benue State which is our hometown.
After our discussion, he said I would pay his bill for that day, and that he would come around. So, I said no problem; any amount, I would pay. He then said that I should call him around 12 noon on Sunday, so that we would talk on how the movement would be. On Saturday, which was April 1, I called to remind him again, he said no problem and that he had didn’t forget. On Sunday, which was April 2, I booked for an ambulance and did every necessary arrangement. Everything was set and the wake keep was ongoing. My uncle and I left for the hospital to pick up the corpse so that they could dress the corpse; we took every necessary thing to the place.
On getting there, I went in to see my dad’s corpse so that we could prepare for his last journey on earth. We went in and moved towards the place where my dad’s corpse was placed but we couldn’t find him again. I was surprised and I asked what happened, but he said he (my dad) had possibly been relocated from there to another position. He showed another person to me; I was angry, and I said, ‘that can’t be my father.’ At that moment, he was confused. I had to ask him what happened, if there was any mix-up, but he didn’t know and he said he couldn’t explain.
My uncle and I that went there were alarmed and I had to look for him (dad) myself. The morgue is not so big; so, we searched all through. I had to even call another uncle and I broke the news to him that we couldn’t find our dad’s corpse again. Despite the fact that his (my uncle) residence is a little bit far from Abeokuta, he came, and we were with the mortuary attendant.
What did you do at that point when it dawned on you that your dad’s corpse was nowhere to be found?
When my uncle that I called got there, we reported the matter at Adatan Police Station in Abeokuta, which was the closest to the location and the mortuary attendant was remanded by the police at the police station. On Monday, the police went to arrest the second mortuary attendant, who was an assistant.
All my brothers were angry at that point and their anger could bring down the hospital, but I pleaded that they should calm down and ensure we took the legal means in addressing the matter. I pleaded with everybody to calm down and they did.
What was the reaction of the hospital management to the situation?
We went to the hospital management, and they said that by all means, they would look for my dad’s corpse. The morticians were detained in the police custody and on Friday that week, the matter was transferred to Eleweran (police station in Abeokuta). So, that’s where the case is being handled. The case has now been charged to court. I was told by the police that two more persons had been arrested; doorkeeper and a lady at the ward, who keeps the key. The case has been charged to the court. As it is now, I can’t take it anymore. I must, I repeat, I must find my dad’s corpse so that I can bury him.
How much did the mortician request as his extra pay so as to be available that Sunday?
The initial deposit was N25,000, which covered embalmment and dressing for five days, after which N1,000 would be charged per day for the rest of the time the corpse was to be there. After all, he charged me N15,000 for the dressing of the corpse which the hospital management said that they were not aware of; they didn’t ask the attendants to collect such money. So, everything amounted to N51,000 which I transferred to his personal account.
How long was the corpse there before you requested for it?
His body was deposited there on February 21 and was there till April 2, when we went to get the corpse, but couldn’t find it.
It was reported that he took ill before he died. How long was he ill before he died?
We took him there on February 13 and he died on February 20th. So, he was admitted at the hospital for a week before he died.
What was the nature of the ailment?
He had liver problem.
How old was he?
He was 54.
How did the whole family receive the news of his missing body?
That’s even the problem now, because my mum hasn’t recovered from it. She is still in shock.
It was reported that the programme to pay his last respect had begun when it was discovered that his body was missing.
Just like I told you, the ambulance and every other thing were set. People had travelled from far and near to our hometown in Benue for the burial, waiting for us to arrive at home in Oju Local Government Area of the State.
How did the programme end eventually when the news broke?
We allowed the wake keep to go on so as to avoid pandemonium. We only broke the news to the elderly ones and those close to us with fear. Everyone that heard it was shocked and anxious to know how it happened. Had it been that we had broken the news to everyone, the whole place would have scattered, they could have even burnt the hospital down. A lot of funds had gone into the preparation for the burial only for us to be told my dad’s corpse was missing.
Reports also had it that you went there few times to check. Did you notice anything unusual in those times?
No. I didn’t notice anything with his body or anything unusual. That’s why I told the mortician when he said that the body was repositioned and I said no because I knew where the body was placed. They couldn’t have told me that they repositioned the body and I won’t find it. If it was repositioned, I would have still found him. I know my dad very well and there are some signs I will see on him that I will use to recognise him, no matter how the face turns
Did you check all the other corpses to see if there was really a mix-up with the positioning?
I checked. They put on the light and I checked one after the other. The funny thing was that we couldn’t see the tag that was put on him. Usually, they put a tag on them. If there was a mix-up and the tags were changed, we would still find the tag, but there was nothing of such. I asked the mortician if they usually left tags with bodies when they were taken away and he said no. So, the question is where’s the tag? The body wasn’t there, the tag was also not found, but he couldn’t answer that question.
Did you also check the register, if it had been signed out?
They brought out all the registers; the private security men at the gate brought theirs and the hospital management also brought theirs. We didn’t see anything. It was negligence because I discovered that they didn’t have proper register. When they were asked to bring their register, the hardcover book they brought had 2019 written on it. It was when this issue took place that they bought an exercise book and put down the records of all corpses that had been taken away and the ones left there in the morgue. It was then that they documented everything. So, truly the morticians don’t give any report of anything corpse brought his or taken away to anybody.
You gave a description of the place to be small. Could you also give a rough estimate of how many corpses were there?
It’s not so big, just like a room and parlour. It had an estimate of 10 corpses or thereabout.
How did your siblings also receive this news?
They were not happy. Even till this moment, some still can’t believe it. I was the one that was with my dad at the hospital before he died. I was involved in the process of everything.
What was his last moment like at the hospital before he passed on?
I didn’t really observe his last moments.
