For years,
suspicions of ritualistic activities perpetrated by corrupt mortuary attendants
have haunted grieving families whose loved ones were returned without vital
body parts. But in a chilling twist that reads like a horror script, this
investigation by CHIJIOKE IREMEKA uncovers a grotesque reality: in some poorly
maintained mortuaries, alongside suspected human atrocities, ravenous rats
feast on corpses, gnawing away at their dignity
What was meant to be a
solemn farewell turned into a heartbreaking morning of chaos for the family of
late Mrs Angela Nyam, whose remains were deposited in a morgue at the old site
of the Jos University Teaching Hospital, Plateau State.
Early in the morning,
precisely at 7 a.m., a quiet crowd assembled at the hospital’s mortuary along
Murtala Mohammed Way, preparing to accompany the late Nyam to her final resting
place at the Evangelical Church Winning All, Rusau village.
But their mourning was
suddenly disrupted when members of her family, who had always raised concerns
over the service at the centre, noticed something was wrong.
With this pointer, they
demanded that the body be examined before leaving. It was discovered that her
face had been mutilated.
“It wasn’t the way we left
it. We opened the casket after she was prepared for the funeral service, and
parts of her face were gone,” one of the older family members, who was barely
able to hold back tears, Joy Nyam, recounted.
Specifically, she said her
lips and parts of her eyes appeared mutilated.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that
as word of the alleged corpse tampering got out, emotions flared and what
started as whispers quickly grew into loud cries.
Youths in the area, many
of whom had gathered in solidarity with the grieving family, began to protest,
hurling stones while sympathisers fled for their safety.
Saturday PUNCH gathered
that even a cleric who tried to intervene was injured in the fray, but the
violence died down only after police intervention.
Amid the unrest, one
mortuary attendant, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisal, said, “It wasn’t
human tampering; it was rats. Rats have
been chewing on their bodies.
“The cold rooms broke down
in 2015, and nothing has been done since. We have no electricity. No working
freezers. We are doing our best with embalming, but it is not enough.”
According to the hospital
official who was nearly lynched for attempting to calm the situation, multiple
bodies have shown similar signs of damage.
A senior hospital worker
backed his claim, saying, “It was done by rats. That’s the truth. The family
accused someone of trying to remove an eye. But both eyes are intact. The
management knows this.”
Despite these confessions,
the hospital’s official statement tells a different story.
“The attention of the
Management of the Jos University Teaching Hospital was drawn to unfounded
rumours… This is to clarify that the rumour has no basis,” read the statement
signed by the hospital’s Protocol and Public Relations officer, Bridget Omini.
Our correspondent learnt
that as the dust settled, the family of Nyam eventually buried her in a low-key
ceremony in the evening, stripped of the community farewell they had planned.
“She was a mother, a
teacher, a woman of faith. We just wanted to lay her to rest with dignity. Now,
we have more pain to carry to carry in our hearts,” said her eldest son,
identified as Mr P. Nyam.
As Nyam’s loved ones
grieved, they did so with the painful knowledge that their goodbye was tainted,
not just by sorrow, but by a system that failed them when it mattered most.
In a related development,
a dramatic incident unfolded a few weeks ago at a mortuary facility between
Afoukwu and Abayi Okoroato village, along the Aba-Ikot Ekpene highway, in the
Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State.
According to a report by
The Daily Crucible on April 2, 2025, the day began like any other: a family
arrived at the mortuary to retrieve the body of their son, who had passed away.
Unaware that their grief
would soon be compounded by horror, the family and sympathisers proceeded to
examine the body in preparation for the funeral.
The report stated that
during this process, they discovered one of the deceased man’s testicles was
missing.
The unsettling discovery
marked the beginning of a chain of events that turned the small mortuary into a
battleground.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that
three mortuary attendants in charge narrowly escaped being lynched by irate
youths following the discovery.
Eyewitnesses described the
scene as chaotic, with some youths destroying buildings and vandalising
property.
According to an eyewitness
quoted by The Daily Crucible, “We didn’t know that this mortuary was involved
in such evil practices; people had been suspecting them. It is an abomination
in Igbo land to sever the body part of a dead person.
“Now, we have seen what he
has done and why his business is flourishing. He was operating his mortuary
business in that abandoned filling station. He and his attendants will answer
for their crimes.”
Residents reportedly
expressed shock and disgust at the discovery, emphasising that tampering with
the body of the dead is considered a taboo Igbo culture.
It was also gathered that
many families who had previously deposited their loved ones at the mortuary
rushed to retrieve their bodies, fearing that similar mutilations may have
occurred.
Police officers from the
Eastern Ngwa Division in Umuobiakwa intervened to restore order and arrested
the three mortuary attendants who had been detained by the youths during the
violent confrontation.
“The incident has left the
community in disbelief, and authorities are investigating the matter to
determine how and why the body parts were removed,” the report added
Mortuary
Source: News24
Rats to blame
However, in a startling
revelation, Douglas Amahibe, a former manager at one of the largest mortuaries
in Abia State, exposed a chilling truth that casts a long shadow over the
mysterious disappearances of body parts in Nigerian mortuaries.
According to the
mortician, it is not ritualists, as many have feared, but ravenous rats that
are responsible for up to 90 per cent of such disturbing incidents.
His grim revelation shifts
the blame away from dark rituals and places it squarely on the shoulders of
decay, neglect, and systemic mismanagement.
Amahibe traces the root of
the problem to poor infrastructure, inadequate funding, substandard embalming
chemicals like formaldehyde, and a glaring lack of accountability.
These factors, he said,
have created a perfect storm for rats to thrive, while the dead remain
vulnerable.
Speaking with Saturday
PUNCH, Amahibe painted a disturbing picture of how decomposing bodies,
sometimes stored in facilities without proper refrigeration or security, become
easy targets for rodents.
The mortician noted that
in such places, the remains are left exposed, with rats freely gnawing away at
any part they can reach.
“This revelation doesn’t
just debunk myths, it exposes a fundamental failure of our public health and
sanitation systems. I won’t deny that some mortuary attendants or owners may be
involved in unethical practices,” he admitted.
“But I think Nigerians
deserve to understand what truly leads to missing body parts. I was once part
of the management team of one of Abia State’s biggest mortuaries, and I know
for a fact that mutilations are often caused by rats.”
Amahibe explained that
corpses are preserved using formaldehyde, a chemical that slows decomposition.
But many facilities rely
on cheap, locally produced alternatives that fail to preserve bodies
effectively, he said.
“The best formaldehyde is
imported from China,” he noted. “The ones made in Nigeria simply don’t do the
job.”
“As imported chemicals
have become very expensive, most mortuary owners now resort to using locally
produced alternatives. Those who can still afford foreign chemicals often
dilute them with water before application.”
He told our correspondent
that regardless of how secure a mortuary building might be, rats will always
find a way in, as they perceive corpses as meat. He noted that as mortuary
owners increasingly cut corners to maximise profit, rodent infestations become
common and inevitable.
Amahibe emphasised that
rats typically target soft tissues such as the ears, nose, lips, fingers, toes,
and both male and female sex organs.
“A skilled mortician would
inject embalming chemicals directly into these sensitive areas using a syringe
to prevent decay and deter rats. I can confidently say that 90 per cent of
missing body parts are caused by rats,” he insisted.
Rebuilding missing body parts
Addressing the issue of
mutilated corpses, the mortician explained that some mortuaries employ trained
morticians capable of reconstructing damaged areas using a mixture of pounded
soap and charcoal.
He said that mortuaries
without such professionals often hire external experts, who also use makeup in
matching skin tones to paint over reconstructed areas ahead of family viewings
or burials.
“I once saw a mortician
rebuild an entire head and face using only a photo provided by the deceased’s
family after the individual died in a car accident. It’s time our people let go
of all the fairy tales and superstitions surrounding mortuaries.
“The only way to truly
prevent this is for families to bury their loved ones immediately and hold
memorials or celebrations later. As long as we continue to store corpses in
mortuaries, rats will continue to feast on them, and we’ll keep accusing each
other unjustly.
“Recently, three mortuary
attendants narrowly escaped being beaten to death due to accusations stemming
from missing body parts. What I don’t understand is why mortuary owners are not
speaking out to inform grieving families that rats are the culprits,” Amahibe
said.
He warned that unless
urgent steps are taken to address the situation, bereaved families would
continue to endure the double tragedy of grief and desecration, while the dead
remain defenceless in a failing system.
Unending controversies
The issue of missing body
parts in Nigerian mortuaries has become a troubling and recurring problem,
triggering public outrage and fueling suspicions of dark, ritualistic
practices.
Families mourning their loved ones have been
horrified to discover mutilated remains, with missing tongues, eyes, genitals,
and internal organs.
In many cases, the blame
has been placed on mortuary attendants, who are accused of selling body parts
to cultists or ritualists for profit.
While some mortuary workers attribute the
mutilation to rodents or poor preservation, several disturbing incidents across
the country suggest more sinister motives.
In 2018, The Nation
reported that three mortuary attendants, Michael Olusegun, Oluseyi Olamide, and
Adetunji Aliyu, were accused of removing a dead woman’s heart and chopping off
her wrists at a hospital in Ikorodu, Lagos.
Olusegun (65), Olamide
(41), and Aliyu (45) were arraigned before a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in
Lagos on a two-count charge of conspiracy and misconduct regarding a corpse.
Prosecuting Superintendent
of Police, Roman Unuigbe, alleged that the defendants committed the offences on
November 16 at St. Raphael Divine Mercy Hospital in Ijede, Ikorodu.
In another disturbing case in Nkpor, Idemili
North Local Government Area of Anambra State, angry youths demanded an
explanation from the mortuary management after discovering that a toe was
missing from their loved one’s body. Tensions escalated as the community sought
answers.
Rats only nibble – Graduate mortician
A chemical
engineer-turned-mortician, who manages Finija Mortuary in Satellite Town,
Lagos, Kayode Adekunle, however, disagreed with Amahibe’s claim, pointing out
that while rats can nibble on corpses, they don’t consume entire limbs or
organs without being noticed.
When Saturday PUNCH
visited his facility, he was seen preparing two bodies for burial out of 48
currently under his care.
Adekunle said, “If rats
can bite a living person’s leg while they sleep, it’s not surprising that they
might nibble on a corpse. But they don’t consume whole parts. They usually go
for the toes, and even then, they only nibble. It’s similar to how they eat
food – they sample it, not devour it.”
He also disagreed with the
claim that rats are responsible for 90 per cent of missing organs in
mortuaries, citing his 19 years of experience.
“If any mortician tells
you rats ate an entire organ, arrest him. I have never seen a case where rats
ate a complete testicle, an entire breast, or a woman’s private parts. When
such things happen, it’s usually due to human interference—specifically,
mutilation by mortuary attendants.”
He added, “Some people do
approach morticians to buy body parts, offering money. But God forbid that I’d
ever be involved in that. I make more than enough money from this job. Apart
from my salary, I earn five times that amount monthly from other mortuary
services.
“For instance, people
whose wives give birth at the hospital often call me to bury the placenta, and
I charge at least N20,000. My wife, who is a nurse, refers such cases to me.
So, I make good money here.
“At the moment, I am
caring for over 48 corpses. Two are scheduled for release tomorrow (Thursday).
What I earn is sufficient, there’s no need to tamper with human remains.”
I’ve been asked to sell ‘mortuary water’
Adekunle also disclosed
that some individuals have approached him, not for body parts, but for water
used in washing corpses, popularly called ‘mortuary water’, due to the belief
that it can be useful for rituals.
The mortician said he had
always declined such requests.
“People have come to me
asking for ‘mortuary water,’ claiming it brings business success. I always
refuse. The end of such practices is often tragic.
“So, if anyone tells you
that rats consumed an entire breast or manhood, that person clearly doesn’t
understand this profession. With the strength of the chemicals we use, not even
flies, let alone rats, can come near the bodies,” he stressed.
“Yes, embalming materials
have become more expensive, but it’s manageable. I bought a 25-litre drum of
embalming chemicals on Monday for N49,000, and I can use that for four or five
corpses.
“At our headquarters,
embalming costs around N200,000, depending on the size and condition of the
body. But here, I charge N120,000. On average, I spend about N12,000 per
corpse. So, if I deduct N12,000 from N120,000, would you say I’m running at a
loss with N108,000 in profit per body?
“This mortuary has been
running for over 19 years. There’s a lot of money in this business. I can
boldly tell you that rats can’t eat embalmed corpses—not even those preserved
using dry embalming. You might see such issues with those who still embalm
bodies using hot drinks, which is an outdated method. Yes, hot drinks can be
used, but the effect doesn’t last.
“Rats can’t enter my
mortuary and stay long enough to eat a corpse. You can see that the doors are
open now, but once evening comes, I shut them to prevent rats from coming in.
If I notice any sign of rats, I immediately set traps.”
‘Mistake that almost cost us our lives’
In a shocking case of
mistaken identity, Adekunle recalled a mortuary mix-up that nearly ended in
tragedy.
“One time, we mistakenly
released body number 178 to a family instead of 187. The family was in a hurry;
they were travelling to the eastern part of the country for a burial and didn’t
inspect the body properly.
There was no
lying-in-state, just a direct burial. The body was transported to Nsukka and
buried.”
Saturday PUNCH learnt that
the mistake only came to light four days later, when another family arrived to
prepare their loved one’s body for burial.
“That was when we realised
the last body we released wasn’t theirs. It was a costly error that nearly
ruined us,” he recounted.
“It took close to a
million naira to rectify the mistake. Without swift action, it could have cost
us our freedom, or even our lives. People would never believe it was an honest
mistake. They would assume we sold the body for rituals.
“To fix the issue, we
quickly rented an ambulance, bought another casket, carried the correct body
and travelled to the community in Enugu State. We paid all the necessary fees
to the villagers, performed the required rites, and exhumed the earlier body.
We then buried the correct corpse in the same grave and brought body 187 back
to Lagos.
“Fortunately, the body
hadn’t started decomposing. We treated and prepared it again. The family never
found out. It was a massive error,” he said solemnly.
Morticians, rituals, and mystery of missing body parts
Also not aligning with the
claim that rats are responsible for missing body parts in mortuaries, trained
mortician Solomon Orogo, who has worked in several facilities, including the
Isolo General Hospital, Lagos, said embalming chemicals make bodies
impenetrable to rodents.
“Do you know what
formaldehyde is? It’s a powerful chemical. When used, not even flies will come
near. It can kill rats, too. So, how can a rat eat a body preserved with that?
Pour it on a corpse, and it immediately shrinks,” he explained.
According to Orogo, these
disappearances are often linked to ritual practices, not rodents.
“Yes, in certain
traditional belief systems, specific human body parts like the skull, heart,
and genitals are believed to possess spiritual power. People seeking wealth,
protection, or supernatural strength may use them in rituals,” he blurted.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that
although these beliefs lack scientific credibility, they remain deeply rooted
in certain cultural and occult practices.
“We receive daily requests
for mortuary water and body parts. That, I can confirm. At the private mortuary
where I worked, we never experienced rats eating corpses. We never left bodies
on the floor. Once a body arrives, it is embalmed and stored in a refrigerator.
I never saw a single rat inside the mortuary. So, how could rats eat a body
locked inside a fridge?”
Orogo added, “Isolo
General Hospital’s mortuary, for instance, was one of the best. It was always
clean and rat-free. I strongly disagree with the claim that rats are
responsible for missing parts.”
He pointed out that a
black market for human body parts exists, often driven by ritual demands.
Poorly paid morticians, he
said, may be tempted by the lure to make fast money.
‘Mortuary water’ in meals makes it addictive
Orogo also revealed that
one of the most sought-after items is ‘mortuary water’. Noting that certain
cultures believe it has mystical properties that enhance business and attract
fortune.
“People approach mortuary
staff offering money for just a small amount of it, believing it brings
spiritual favour, financial success, or influence,” he further said.
According to him, some
restaurants have allegedly purchased mortuary water for food preparation,
convinced it will ‘charm’ customers into becoming addicted to their meals.
“They believe that using
mortuary water for rituals will make customers crave their food and keep coming
back,” he said with a smirk on his face.
Rats can’t eat embalmed bodies – Chemical pathologist
In response to claims that
rats are responsible for 90 per cent of missing body parts in mortuaries,
Saturday PUNCH consulted histopathologists, medical doctors, and scientists
specialising in the study of tissues and cells, as well as those who perform
autopsies, to provide more insights.
One of them, a Professor
of Chemical Pathology and Immunology at Benue State University, Makurdi, Simeon
Adebisi, emphasised that rats are not carnivorous animals and, therefore,
cannot consume human bodies.
“A carnivorous animal
primarily eats meat for sustenance, but rats don’t fall into this category. If
you say rats can bite humans, I would agree, but eating human bodies, whether
dead or alive, is not possible,” he insisted.
“The idea that a rat could
eat an embalmed human body in the mortuary is more fiction than reality. Even
carnivorous animals can’t eat an embalmed body.”
Adebisi further pointed
out that formaldehyde, the chemical used in embalming, is too strong for any
animal, including carnivorous ones.
“If you are not a
pathologist and you enter a mortuary where formaldehyde is being used, you will
run away. The chemical is so potent that even you, as a human, will struggle to
endure it. So, rats can’t eat an embalmed body,” he further clarified.
A Lagos-based Forensic
Pathologist, Dr Ifeanyi Umeh, also dismissed the idea of rats feeding on
embalmed bodies, stating that embalming fluid is toxic to animals and that rats
instinctively avoid the strong chemical odour.
“The notion that rodents
would selectively eat genitals or eyes from a preserved body is biologically
and logically unsound,” he said.
These experts’ accounts
raise further suspicions that some mortuary staff might be deliberately
mutilating corpses and harvesting body parts for profit, often tied to
ritualistic practices.
Costly formaldehyde
An artisan
mortician based in the riverine area of Ogbaru in Anambra State, Mr Joseph
Otubo, revealed that in some local mortuaries across Nigeria, hot alcoholic
drinks such as gin or rum are used as part of the embalming process.
While this practice might
not officially have a scientific root, Otubo explained that some embalmers
resort to it, particularly in low-resource settings where standard embalming
chemicals are too expensive or unavailable.
“I use hot drinks and
locally made gin (sapele water) to embalm, but not always. When the body needs
to be buried immediately, I don’t use formaldehyde; I use hot drinks instead.
Other morticians who use hot drinks for embalming say it is effective but doesn’t
last long,” he said.
Otubo noted that the high
alcohol content acts as a temporary preservative, slowing down the
decomposition process for a short period.
He noted that this method
is particularly useful for short-term preservation when families plan to bury
their loved ones within a few days of death.
“In these cases, the
alcohol helps reduce odour, stiffens the body slightly, and gives enough time
to conduct wake-keep or funeral rites. Though this is not the standard chemical
for preservation, we find it cheap and affordable. Apart from that, you’ll find
hot drinks everywhere in riverine areas. We discovered it works, so we use it,”
Otubo explained.
Professionals acknowledge
that this method is ineffective for long-term preservation.
A manager at a funeral
home in Asaba, Delta State, Chinedu Agumadu, noted that, unlike
formaldehyde-based chemicals, alcohol doesn’t penetrate deeply into the tissues
or prevent internal decay.
As a result, decomposition
eventually sets in, especially in warmer climates,” he added.
Agumadu explained that
with a strong chemical mixture, rats will not approach the body, but may nibble
if it is not properly preserved with formaldehyde.
Dry embalming and risk of rodent infestation
In some Nigerian
mortuaries, particularly those that are overcrowded or under-resourced,
morticians use a method known as dry embalming.
This involves drying out
human bodies and stacking them upright against walls outside refrigeration
units.
This is often the practice
with unclaimed bodies or those scheduled for delayed burials that can sometimes
stretch into months or even years.
“Dry embalming involves
treating the body with strong preservatives and leaving it exposed to air until
it hardens. Over time, the body becomes stiff, dehydrated, and shrunken, almost
mummified in appearance. This method makes it difficult for rodents to access
the body,” Agumadu explained.
However, he acknowledged
the challenges of re-preparing a dry-embalmed body for burial.
“A body that has been
dry-embalmed becomes rigid and difficult to handle. Families often ask how the
body will be softened again for proper dressing and burial rites. We attempt to
rehydrate the body using warm water, oils, or chemical solutions, but the
results are rarely close to natural,” he added.
Human parts are most potent in rituals – Witchdoctor
Confirming the ritualistic
use of human-related materials, a native doctor known for his mysticism in
Anambra State, Adigo-Ogidi, stated that anything can be used for rituals, but
human parts hold particular spiritual potency.
“Anything connected to
humans has a strong potency when used for rituals. Humans are the highest
beings with a soul that can be invoked during rituals. Nothing is greater than
a man’s soul,” he explained.
“That’s why when people
seek extraordinary powers or fortune, they turn to human sacrifices or body
part rituals, despite it being against humanity. Even in our world, life is
sacred; destroying it comes with severe consequences.”
However, Adigo-Ogidi
claimed that he abstains from using human parts in his practice due to the
grave consequences attached to it.
“There are actions we take
that we eventually have to pay for. Some people have chosen their path for
power and wealth, but they are prepared to pay the ultimate price. I try to
respect natural laws, no matter the odds surrounding me,” he said.
Interestingly, Adigo-Ogidi
also revealed that some native doctors use mortuary water and human excreta for
certain charms, particularly those aimed at boosting sales.
“Yes, water from corpses
can be used to make ‘boom charms’ for traders. Even human excreta can be used
and placed at the entrance of a shop. Symbolically, just as flies gather around
human waste, customers are drawn in great numbers to the shop because of the
ritual,” he revealed.
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