Jos bomb blast: unclaimed corpses still in mortuary 8 months after

Eight months after the bomb blasts at COCIN Church Headquarters and St. Finnbar Catholic Church in Jos, unclaimed corpses of some victims are still in Plateau Specialist Hospital.
Dr Sanusi Gidado, the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Plateau Specialist Hospital, Jos,said on Tuesday, that the corpses constituted serious challenges to the hospital.
COCIN Church headquarters was bombed in February while St. Finnbar Cathedral was hit in March 2012, killing several people while many others sustained injuries.
“We are having serious challenges at the mortuary which has already been filled up.
“The corpses of the people affected by the bomb blasts at both COCIN Headquarters and St. Finbarrs Cathedral are still in mortuary unclaimed.
“Some of the corpses are beyond recognition; we want the authorities to help us evacuate them,” he said.
Gidado said the hospital’s management had taken the step toward burying the bodies as discussions had begun with the authorities of Jos North Local Government Area of the state.
“If not for the ongoing strike, we could have completed that task and overcome the challenge.
“We won’t mind to foot the bill of burying the corpses, but we must get the cemetery that we can use for that purpose.
“As soon as the local government workers resume, we shall revisit the issue to evacuate the corpses and decongest the mortuary,’’ he said.
Gidado attributed the problem to the inability of the victims’ relatives to identify their corpses, adding: “You can’t claim a body you don’t know“.
The director, however, advised the general public to endeavour to check the hospitals whenever any of their loved ones was missing.