Benue mortuary attendant abducted as thugs disrupt planned mass burial for victims of bandit attack in Kwande Local Government Area

A mortuary attendant at NKST Hospital in Jato Aka, headquarters of Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, has reportedly been abducted by suspected thugs in an attempt to stop a planned mass burial for victims of a recent bandit attack.

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The victim, identified as MT Tiga, was abducted on Thursday, preventing families of the deceased from accessing the corpses deposited at the hospital’s mortuary.

The victims had been killed when bandits invaded Tyungu Jam and Mbaav communities in Yaav and Mbadura council wards of Kwande Local Government Area on March 5, leaving several people dead and many others injured.

The Governor of Benue State condemned the killings, describing them as “senseless and barbaric” in a statement issued by his media aide, Solomon Iorpev, and called on security agencies to apprehend those responsible.

Eleven victims of the attack had been scheduled for a mass burial on Thursday, an event that attracted families, community members and priests from within and outside the state.

However, the burial arrangements were disrupted when suspected thugs allegedly stormed the hospital, abducted the mortuary attendant and sealed the mortuary, denying families access to the bodies of their loved ones.

Reacting to the development, the All Progressives Congress in Benue condemned the incident, describing it as disgraceful and alleging that it was sponsored.

In a statement issued by the party’s state publicity secretary, Daniel Ihomun, the party said the act was an attempt to prevent the Turan community from conducting a mass burial for the victims.

“This barbaric act is not only inhumane but also an assault on the fundamental right of a community to mourn and bury their dead with dignity,” the statement read.

Also reacting, the President-General of Mdzough U Tiv Worldwide, Iorbee Ihagh, described the incident as shameful.

“It is very shameful. People came from far away, even outside the country, but the mortuary attendant was not seen and the place was locked,” Ihagh said, adding that community members had wanted to force open the mortuary but were restrained by a priest.

When contacted, the Chairman of Kwande Local Government Area, Neji Terhile, said those organising the mass burial did not consider the volatile security situation in the area.

He noted that some victims had already been buried.

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“You are aware that these people slept in their houses and were attacked by Fulanis. Mobilising a mass burial in such a community is a death trap,” Terhile said.