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Bereaved families with corpses deposited at Aigbe Mortuary on Akugbe Street, off Upper Sakponba Road, Benin City, Edo State, have since Monday besieged the facility to verify the condition of their deceased relatives or transfer the bodies to other mortuaries.
The tension followed the discovery of an alleged case of organ harvesting at the mortuary, which led to the arrest of a mortuary attendant by operatives of the Edo State Police Command.
A visit to the hospital facility, which operates the mortuary and serves the densely populated Upper Sakponba area, revealed that some family members were present to check the condition of the corpses they deposited, while others made frantic efforts to transfer their deceased relatives to other mortuaries.
Speaking on the development, Desmond Osariemen, said his late mother’s corpse was deposited at the mortuary, adding that he was there to ensure nothing had happened to her remains as the family plans to bury her next year.
“I am here because of the story we heard about organ harvesting last Friday. I just want to be sure that my mother’s corpse is safe. Many people have been coming since Monday to transfer the corpses of their deceased family members to other mortuaries, while others just came to be sure that nothing has happened to the corpses they deposited. But for me, I am here to be sure that my mum’s corpse is intact,” he said.
A staff of the hospital, who declined to have his name in print, said the mortuary had never been involved in organ harvesting. He explained that the deceased whose corpse was allegedly tampered with had died as a result of poisoning, which may have affected his internal organs.
“There is nothing like organ harvesting here. The man in question died from poisoning, and that may have affected his internal organs,”.
However, the Edo State Police Command, in a statement released by its Public Relations Officer, Eno Ikoedem, said the Command had launched an investigation into the matter and would ensure that anyone fing guilty would face the full weight of the law.
“The Edo State Police Command has launched an intensive and far-reaching investigation into a disturbing allegation of unlawful tampering with a human corpse and theft of human parts at Akugbe Mortuary, located along Upper Sakponba Road, Benin City—an incident that sparked public outrage and nearly culminated in mob violence.
“On December 12, 2025, the Command received an urgent distress call indicating that a mortuary attendant was on the verge of being lynched by an irate crowd over allegations of organ harvesting. Acting with swift precision, the Divisional Police Officer, Ugbekun Division, immediately mobilised operatives to the scene and successfully rescued the suspect, thereby averting a breakdown of law and order.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that one Marvelous Odeh and others had visited the mortuary to claim the corpse of the late Uyi Enogieru for burial. However, upon completion of the required formalities, it was discovered that the corpse had been unlawfully interfered with and that some body parts were missing, prompting a report to the Police.
“The suspect has since been taken into custody and, on the directive of the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, CP Monday Agbonika,, the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for a thorough, professional, and discreet investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“The Edo State Police Command assures members of the public that no stone will be left unturned in uncovering the truth and ensuring that anyone found culpable is brought to justice in accordance with the law. Members of the public are urged to remain calm and refrain from taking the law into their own hands while allowing the Police to carry out a comprehensive investigation.”
