Tragedy turned to outrage in Benue State on Thursday as suspected thugs abducted a mortuary attendant at NKST Hospital in Jato Aka, headquarters of Kwande Local Government Area, in a brazen move to prevent a planned mass burial for victims of a recent bandit attack.
The abduction of MT Tiga left families of the deceased stranded and unable to access the bodies of their loved ones, which had been deposited at the mortuary following the March 5 invasion of Tyungu Jam and Mbaav communities in Yaav and Mbadura Council wards.
Bandits had attacked the communities, killing several people and injuring many others in what Governor Hyacinth Alia described as "senseless and barbaric" killings.
Saturday Punch gathered that 11 victims were scheduled for mass burial on Thursday, an event that had drawn mourners and priests from within and outside the state, including a visitor who traveled from the United States to stand in solidarity with the community.
However, the process was violently disrupted when thugs allegedly invaded the hospital, abducted the mortuary attendant, and sealed the mortuary, denying families access to the bodies.
The All Progressives Congress in Benue condemned the act as disgraceful and alleged it was sponsored.
In a statement issued by the state publicity secretary, Daniel Ihomun, the party said: "We have received disturbing reports that sponsored thugs abducted a mortuary attendant, Mr. MT Tiga, and sealed his mortuary facility in a desperate attempt to prevent the people of Turan from carrying out a mass burial for the victims who were killed in Mbachoon, Yaav District of Turan in Kwande Local Government Area."
"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 people of Turan have every right to determine how they lay their loved ones to rest and to draw attention to the ongoing suffering and systematic killings being perpetrated against them by armed Fulani bandits," the statement added.
Similarly, the President-General of Mdzough U Tiv Worldwide, retired Comptroller General of Prisons, 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.
The people wanted to force the mortuary open, but the priest said they should not do that," Ihagh said.
However, Chairman of Kwande LG, Neji Terhile, offered a different perspective, stating that those mobilizing for the mass burial did not consider the volatility of the area.
He noted that some victims had already been buried individually.
"You are aware that these people slept in their houses and were attacked by Fulanis.
Mobilizing a mass burial in such a community is a death trap," the chairman said.
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