The corpses of six persons
who died in inter-communal crisis in 2002 over unpaid N13.5 million mortuary
debt were seized in a private hospital in Oleh, headquarters of Isoko Local
Government Area of Delta State.
This news came as remains of five others who were killed in the crisis were laid to rest yesterday amid tears and lamentation.
This news came as remains of five others who were killed in the crisis were laid to rest yesterday amid tears and lamentation.
Addressing newsmen shortly
after the funeral service of those buried, chairman of Irri Development Union,
Mr. Goddey Igorigo, said the deceased had been in mortuary since 2002.
Explaining that the body of
one of the victims was taken to Oleh for burial, Igorigo said the corpses of
six others were still in the mortuary of a private hospital which refused to
release them due to N13.5 million debt.
He said: “We are supposed to have also buried all of
them today but because we do not have money, the management of the hospital
took us to court to pay the sum of N13.5 million and also demanded for the
payment of N1 million damages to them.
“The matter is in court as
we speak now but with the judgement so far passed, the court asked the management
of the hospital to reduce the bill. So we are begging the local government,
state and federal governments to come to the aid of Irri to settle the bill so
that we can bury the remaining bodies of the victims of the crisis.”
Blaming the crisis on power
tussle and the divide and rule tactics of an oil company operating in the area,
Igorigo advised the people of the community to keep away from anything that
could lead to a recurrence of crisis in the community.
“We should leave peacefully
and forgive one another for wrongs done to us,” he admonished the people of the
area.
Meanwhile, commercial
activities were brought to a halt at Irri in honour of the deceased as
indigenes of the community who were clad in black attires wept uncontrollably.
In his homily at the
funeral service held at the community’s town hall, Rev. Ferguson Idike stressed
the need for the people to put God first in their dealings with one another.
Hospital yeh kala mennnnnnnn
ReplyDelete