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Missing Mortician Forces Postponement of Burial for 13 Attack Victims in Benue
A planned mass burial for 13 victims of a deadly attack in Benue State was postponed after relatives could not retrieve the bodies from the mortuary due to a missing mortician.
The burial ceremony planned for 13 people killed during a recent armed herdsmen attack in Turan Community, Jato-Aka, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State has been postponed after the mortician in charge of the bodies reportedly went missing.
Relatives of the victims, alongside the Concerned Sons and Daughters of Turan Community, had fixed Thursday, March 12, 2026, for the mass burial. Arrangements were already in place in Mbachom community, where mourners had gathered awaiting the arrival of the corpses from the mortuary.
But the burial could not proceed after families discovered they were unable to retrieve the bodies.
Speaking on the situation, a relative of one of the victims, Bemgba Numve, said the absence of the mortician prevented the release of the corpses.
“My brother was killed in the attack and we planned to bury all 13 of them today. Everybody is here for the burial and people also came from outside to witness the burial but we could not retrieve the bodies of our loved ones from the mortuary,” he said.
“We got to the mortuary and discovered that the mortician was not there. We learnt that he was taken away and there was nobody to release the corpses.”
He insisted the families still intend to conduct the burial despite the setback.
“It is unfortunate that some people do not want us to carry out the burial but they are our brothers and sisters and we have the right to bury them on our own terms.
“Whoever took the mortician away will not determine how we will bury our brothers and sisters, and we will still fix another date to do it.”
Efforts to contact the Nigeria Police Force spokesperson in the state, Udeme Edet, for comments were unsuccessful.
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