UBTH to Conduct Mass Burial for 462 Unclaimed Corpses

The University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) has announced plans to carry out a mass burial for 462 unclaimed corpses currently in its morgue. This includes 350 children whose bodies have remained unclaimed since January 2023.

Professor Adebola Ehizel, the Deputy Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee, raised concerns about the increasing number of unclaimed bodies during an interview with a local broadcast station in Benin City. The hospital management has issued a six-week deadline for families to claim the deceased, with the deadline expiring on February 20, 2026.

After this period, the unclaimed corpses will be disposed of in a manner deemed appropriate by the hospital. The statement emphasized that the morgue can no longer accommodate the bodies, and families are urged to come forward to claim their loved ones before the mass burial takes place.