The Lagos State Police Command has arrested seven persons working as mortuary and cemetery attendants over a missing corpse in their custody.
The state Commissioner of Police, CP Imohimi Edgal, disclosed the arrests to newsmen while parading the suspects and others on Friday at the command headquarters in Ikeja.
According to Edgal, on Tuesday, Nov. 13 2018, the Command received a complaint from one Anthony Lawani, younger brother to one Mary Ehinlaiye, now deceased, aged 51 years.
The complainant said that the body parts of the deceased were sliced off by yet-to-be-identified persons.
“Based on the complaint, I directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police, SCID, Panti, Yaba to investigate the matter.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the corpse of the deceased was deposited at St. Raphael’s Devine Mercy Specialist Hospital Mortuary along Ijede Road, Ikorodu, Lagos for preservation.
“However, one Olusesi Owamade, aged 41 years, a mortuary attendant, with the approval of his supervisor, Michael Olusegun, aged 65 years, erroneously released the corpse to another family.
“When the relations of the deceased woman came for the release of the corpse for burial, it was nowhere to be found.
“At this juncture, it dawned on the mortuary attendants that they had released the corpse to the wrong persons.
“To recover the corpse, five gravediggers working at Sabo Cemetery, Ikorodu were contracted by the mortuary attendants to exhume the corpse for onward handover to its owners,” he said.
The police boss further said that the suspects conspired among themselves and dismembered the body of the deceased by cutting off the two wrists and heart for a yet-to-be-determined reason.
“Investigation into this case is in progress, while efforts are on to arrest one of the gravediggers named Anifowoshe, who is currently at large.
“The case will be charged to court and case file forwarded to the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice,” he said.
The suspects were later taken to the State CID, Panti, Yaba in preparation for arraignment.
