The Borno State Government has begun the evacuation of decomposing bodies deposited at the morgue of the State Specialist Hospital located in the Hausari ward of Maiduguri, the state capital.

The evacuation, which began on Wednesday, is expected to pave the way for the return of many residents of the area who had to flee as a result of the stench oozing out of the decomposing human bodies which were dumped right in the open.

Some staff of the hospital, who were also said to have stopped coming to work when the odour oozing out of the decomposing corpses was becoming unbearable, will also heave a sigh of relief and return to work now.

Over 500 human remains were said to have been dumped for over a month at the hospital morgue which could only contain 50 bodies by the men of the military Joint Task Force (JTF), thus leading to stench and offensive odour. The stench left residents of the neighborhood with no other option than to abandon their homes.

A resident of the area who narrated the ordeal of the residents of the neighbourhood, said "Aside the health hazard, the economic activities and good air that we breath in the area, the fact that we are aware of the pile of dead bodies around us is also causing serious psychological problem."

A staff of the hospital who spoke on condition of anonymity also said the hospital morgue which has the capacity to accommodate only 50 corpses was overwhelmed with corpses being brought daily as a result of the killings and general insecurity in the state.

"Because there is no room in the morgue, we resorted to keeping them near the morgue with the hope that they would be evacuated in good time before they start to decompose . But for the bureaucratic ways of doing things, the authorities could not act in good time until the dead started speaking for themselves and everybody now is worried and calling for the evacuation," the hospital staff said.

But the State Commissioner for Enviroment, Alhaji Mustapha Hassan Aminami, told journalists in Maiduguri that the corpses would have been evacuated long before now if not for the problems encountered by the government.

The commissioner said residents of the area can now heave a sigh of relief and return to their homes and businesses with the commencement of the evacuation .
http://thewillnigeria.com/general/20981.html

Wow. I cringe waneva I see a dead body be it even a criminal. Mixed feelings here.