The Rivers State Police Command has dismissed reports of discovery of an illegal mortuary, where bodies of kidnap victims were kept in Elele-Alimini General Hospital in Emohua Local Council of Rivers State.

Acting Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Grace Iringe-Koko, reacting to claims by the Chairman of Emohua Council, Dr. Chidi Lloyd, that his team uncovered and intercepted suspects of an illegal mortuary, where bodies of kidnapped victims that die in abductors’ custody were kept, explained that the said hospital, although moribund, was not a dumping ground for dead kidnapped victims’ bodies.

Iringe-Koko, in a statement, yesterday, said preliminary investigation revealed the mortuary actually existed in the premises of General Hospital Elele Alimini and it was owned by the state government, though it was abandoned and now moribund, as staffs were all laid off, over 10 years ago.

She added that some workers still attended to bodies in the morgue to avoid an outbreak of epidemic

One of the suspects, Okachi Wali, met at the premises on the day of the raid, “was casual mortuary staff, who was rendering services and not a suspect.” She stressed that the morgue was not run by any kidnap syndicate as portrayed.

She said: “The attention of Rivers State Police Command has been drawn to a viral video of a mortuary purportedly being run by “a kidnap syndicate for preservation of victims, who die in their custody.”

“Preliminary investigation revealed that a mortuary actually exists in the premises of Elele Alimini General Hospital, owned by the state government, which was abandoned and moribund. However, some mortuary attendants decided to stay back to attend to the corpses that were in the morgue to avoid an epidemic outbreak.

“Mr. Okachi Wali, met at the premises is a mortuary casual staff who is still rendering his services. Suffice to say, the morgue is not being run by a kidnap syndicate as portrayed,” she said.

She called on the people to go about their lawful duties and report any suspicious development to appropriate authorities.

(The Guardian)