That the dead may rest in perfect peace…

Ogun shuts down illegal mortuary, evacuates corpses

OGUN State Government has sealed off an illegal morgue located at N0 6 Church Street, Orudu Road, Gbogbolowo Bus Stop, in Ifo Local Council of the State. The government said yesterday that its activities posed serious health hazards to the community and its environs.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Daisi Odeniyi, while sealing off the morgue, said the step was meant to deter other members of the public engaged in such act, insisting that anyone who wants to set up a morgue should follow due process.

The Permanent Secretary, represented by Dr. Solomon Sokunbi, said the three bodies recovered from the morgue would be deposited at the State-owned morgue in Abeokuta, explaining that the corpses would be released to their families after proper identification and documentation.

He, therefore, called on the state government to find a lasting solution to the problem, saying that such illegal facility could cause serious health hazard in the community as there are schools, churches, hotels and buildings around the morgue.

According to him: “Ogun State has zero tolerance for quackery and would not condone the operation of any illegal health facility in and around the State, and anyone caught engaging in such illegality would be arrested and prosecuted.”

In an interview, the Area Coordinator of the Community, Mr Funso Williams, confirmed that the morgue had been sealed thrice by the officials of the Ministry of Health, adding that Mr. Martins Ikharo, operator of the facility usually breaks Government’s Seal on the facility.

He, therefore, called on the state government to find a lasting solution to the problem, saying that such illegal facility could cause serious health hazard in the community as there are schools, churches, hotels and buildings around the morgue.

Also speaking, Senior Pastor, Celestial Church of Christ, Oluwaseyi Parish, Adiyan, Mr. Falola Olabode, said the morgue has negative effect on socio-economic activities of the community, emphasising that chemicals used in preserving the corpses do affect the health of the people.