A decomposing corpse has been left unattended to in a street of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
The incident became public after Augustine Akpan, a journalist in Uyo, raised an alarm through a Facebook post on Saturday, 14 February, describing the situation as a “public health hazard alert.”
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Mr Akpan said the corpse, lying at Ntiedo Street, off Udo Umana Street, about 200 metres from The Apostolic Church Territorial Headquarters in Uyo, had begun oozing stench into the atmosphere.
“The corpse had started decomposing… suggesting that it has remained there unattended for days,” he wrote, calling on relevant government agencies to evacuate it before it constitutes a health risk to residents.
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When contacted by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Akpan said the swollen body’s physical appearance suggested it might be that of a mentally ill person. He added that the corpse’s condition suggested it may have been lying there for over two days.
In a comment on the Facebook post, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Health, Ekem John, said relevant officers had been contacted.
“As soon as documentation with the security agencies are complete, it will be evacuated,” he stated.
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The Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources, Nsikak Ekong, said he was unaware of the development until contacted by PREMIUM TIMES, but promised immediate action.
“When citizens see such, they should contact the ministry or health officers in the local government area. We have health officers across the 31 local government areas of the state,” he said.
The Chairperson of the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency, Prince Ikim, confirmed receiving the report on Saturday afternoon and said steps had been initiated to evacuate the corpse.
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“There are procedures for evacuating corpses. We must inform the police and obtain a letter before evacuation. Without following due process, we risk legal consequences,” he said, referencing a previous incident involving a corpse recovered at another street in Uyo.
He added that discussions had been held with the health commissioner and environmental officers, and assured that the body would be evacuated before Sunday morning, once the police issue a clearance letter.
Mr Ikim called on residents to promptly notify both the agency and the police when they discover unattended corpses to enable an investigation into the cause of death.
When contacted, the police spokesperson in Akwa Ibom, Timfon John, requested time to conduct findings before issuing an official response.
As of 9 p.m. on Saturday, the agency responsible for evacuating the decomposing was reportedly waiting for police documentation.
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