A family in Ebonyi state has been thrown into grief and confusion after the corpse of their 94-year-old matriarch reportedly disappeared from a mortuary just days before her burial.
The shocking incident occurred in Afikpo, where relatives had concluded elaborate funeral arrangements and arrived at the mortuary to retrieve the deceased’s remains, only to discover that the body was missing.
According to family members, the situation took a more disturbing turn when a mortuary attendant allegedly presented a different corpse in place of the deceased woman’s remains.
The family rejected the body, insisting it did not belong to their late grandmother.
A granddaughter of the deceased, who spoke in a viral video, alleged that the mortuary attendant fled after the discrepancy was uncovered.
“My grandmother’s corpse is missing and the mortuary attendant gave us another dead body and now he is on the run,” she said.
The family further accused police officers who responded to the incident of failing to properly handle the situation, alleging that a key suspect escaped after security personnel arrived at the scene.
According to the relatives, the disappearance of the corpse has transformed what was meant to be a celebration of a long life into a painful search for answers.
The family is demanding an independent investigation into the whereabouts of the missing remains and the circumstances surrounding the alleged attempt to substitute the body.
They have also called for the arrest of all mortuary workers involved and any individuals found culpable in the incident.
As of the time of filing this report, the Ebonyi state police command had not issued an official statement on the matter.