Nigerian student shocked to see friend’s body in anatomy class

In our series of letters from African writers, Nigerian journalist and novelist Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani writes about the disturbing reality behind some of the “unclaimed” bodies sent to the country’s medical schools.

Short presentational grey line

Medical student Enya Egbe fled his anatomy class crying after being disturbed by the corpse he was asked to work on.

This was not the squeamish response of a naïve young man.

The 26-year-old still vividly recalls that Thursday afternoon seven years ago at Nigeria’s University of Calabar, converging with fellow students around three tables with a cadaver laid out on each.

Minutes later, he screamed and ran.

The body his group had been about to dissect was that of Divine, his friend of more than seven years.

“We used to go clubbing together,” he told me. “There were two bullet holes on the right side of his chest.”

Oyifo Ana was one of the many students who ran out after Mr Egbe and found him weeping outside.

“Most of the cadavers we used in school had bullets in them. I felt so bad when I realised that some of the people may not be real criminals,” Ms Ana said.

She added that early one morning she had seen a police van loaded with bloodied bodies at their medical school, which had a mortuary attached to it.

Mr Egbe sent a message to Divine’s family who, it turned out, had been going to different police stations in search of their relative after he and three friends were arrested by security agents on their way back from a night out.

The family eventually managed to reclaim his body.

A protester holds up a scarf with the same colours as the Nigerian national flag during a live concert at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos, on October 15, 2020, during a demonstration to protest against police brutality and scrapping of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
image captionNigerians last year staged massive protests to condemn police brutality

Mr Egbe’s shocking discovery highlighted both the lack of corpses available in Nigeria for medical students and what can happen to victims of police violence.

Between the 16th and 19th Centuries, different laws in the UK granted the bodies of executed criminals to medical schools – a punishment that also advanced the cause of science.

In Nigeria, a current law hands “unclaimed bodies” in government mortuaries to medical schools. The state can also appropriate bodies of executed criminals, though the last execution took place in 2007.

More than 90% of the cadavers used in Nigerian medical schools are “criminals killed by shooting”, according to 2011 research in the medical journal Clinical Anatomy.

In reality, this means they were suspects shot dead by security forces. Their estimated ages are between 20 and 40 years, 95% are male, and three out of four are from the lower socio-economic class. There are zero body donations.

“Nothing has changed 10 years later,” said Emeka Anyanwu, a professor of anatomy at the University of Nigeria, who co-authored the study.

‘Ambulance duty’

Last year, the Nigerian government set up judicial panels of inquiry in different states to investigate allegations of police brutality.

This was in response to the #EndSars protests sparked by the viral video of yet another young man allegedly shot dead by the police’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (Sars) in the southern state of Delta.

Many of those testifying before the panels have spoken of relatives arrested by security agents and never seen again.

The police have in most cases defended themselves by saying that those missing were armed robbers killed in an exchange of gunfire, while police spokesman Frank Mba told me he was not aware of any case where the police had dumped bodies with anatomy labs or mortuaries.

A protester gestures as he holds a placard at a live concert at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos, on October 15, 2020, during a demonstration to protest against police brutality and scrapping of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS

In written testimony presented to the judicial panel in Enugu state, 36-year-old trader Cheta Nnamani said he had assisted security agents to get rid of the bodies of those they had tortured or executed during his four months in the custody of Sars in 2009.

He said that one night, he was asked to load three corpses into a van, a task known in detention parlance as “ambulance duty”.

The police then chained him inside and drove to the nearby University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), where Mr Nnamani offloaded the bodies. They were taken away by a mortuary attendant.

Mr Nnamani told me that he was later threatened with the same fate.

In the south-eastern town of Owerri, the privately-owned Aladinma Hospital Mortuary stopped accepting bodies of alleged criminals because the police rarely provided identification or notified relatives of the deceased.

This used to leave the mortuary stuck with the maintenance costs of the unclaimed bodies until every few years the government eventually granted permission for mass burials.

“Sometimes, the police try to strong-arm us into accepting bodies but we insist that they take them to a government hospital,” said Ugonna Amamasi, the administrator of the mortuary

“Private mortuaries are not authorised to donate bodies to medical schools but government mortuaries can,” he added.

Relatives left in the dark

A senior lawyer, Fred Onuobia, said relatives were entitled to collect the bodies of lawfully executed criminals.

“If no-one shows up after a certain length of time, the bodies are sent to teaching hospitals,” the advocate said.

But the situation is worse with extrajudicial killings, as relatives never get to know about the deaths or are unable to locate the bodies, he said.AdaobiBBCDivine’s family managed to get some of the officers involved in his killing sacked”Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
Nigerian novelist

It was only by chance after all that the family of Mr Egbe’s friend, Divine, was able to give him a proper burial.

Nigeria’s association of anatomists is now lobbying for a change in the law that will ensure mortuaries obtain full historical records of bodies donated to schools, and also family consent.

It will also set out ways to encourage people to donate their bodies to medical science.

“There will be a lot of education and a lot of advocacy so people can see that if I donate my body, it will be for the good of the society,” said the association’s head, Olugbenga Ayannuga.

As for Mr Egbe, he was so traumatised by seeing his friend’s body that he abandoned his studies for weeks, imagining Divine standing by the door each time he tried to enter the anatomy room.

He ended up graduating a year after his classmates, and now works in a hospital lab in Delta state.

Divine’s family managed to get some of the officers involved in his killing sacked – scant justice but still more than that experienced by many other Nigerians whose loved ones were the victims of police violence and may also have ended up in medical schools around the country.

Credit:BBC

Related Articles

201 COMMENTS

  1. Appreciating the persistence you put into your site and in depth information you present.
    It’s good to come across a blog every once in a while
    that isn’t the same old rehashed information. Great read!

    I’ve saved your site and I’m adding your RSS feeds to
    my Google account.

    Look at my page :: Daniele

  2. Its such as you read my mind! You appear to know so much approximately this,
    like you wrote the e-book in it or something.
    I feel that you simply could do with a few percent to force the message house
    a little bit, but other than that, that is great blog.
    An excellent read. I will definitely be back.

    my blog; matkafasi.com

  3. Thanks for your marvelous posting! I definitely enjoyed reading it, you can be a great author.I will be sure
    to bookmark your blog and will eventually come back sometime
    soon. I want to encourage that you continue your great writing,
    have a nice day!

    Here is my blog post: peatix.com

  4. Have you ever considered about adding a little bit more
    than just your articles? I mean, what you say is valuable and all.

    But think of if you added some great pictures
    or videos to give your posts more, “pop”! Your content is excellent but with
    pics and video clips, this website could certainly be one of the most beneficial in its niche.
    Amazing blog!

    Feel free to surf to my page; ai-db.science

  5. With havin so much written content do you ever run into any issues of plagorism
    or copyright violation? My website has a lot of exclusive content I’ve either created myself or outsourced
    but it looks like a lot of it is popping it up
    all over the internet without my authorization. Do you know any methods
    to help reduce content from being stolen? I’d definitely appreciate it.

    Also visit my homepage; https://vimeo.com/climblamb32

  6. of course like your web-site however you have to test the
    spelling on several of your posts. Many of them are rife with
    spelling problems and I find it very bothersome to inform the reality
    nevertheless I’ll surely come again again.

    Feel free to surf to my web site; picbootloader.com

  7. After I originally left a comment I seem to have clicked on the -Notify me
    when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is
    added I get four emails with the exact same comment. Perhaps there is a means you
    can remove me from that service? Kudos!

    Feel free to surf to my web page bbs.vipbuluo.com

  8. Hi! This is kind of off topic but I need some advice
    from an established blog. Is it very hard to set
    up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast.
    I’m thinking about creating my own but I’m not sure where to start.
    Do you have any points or suggestions? Thank you

    Take a look at my homepage … http://www.lecalabrie.org

  9. Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied
    on the video to make your point. You obviously know what youre
    talking about, why throw away your intelligence on just posting videos
    to your weblog when you could be giving us something enlightening to read?

    My page; odush.sportmagadan.ru

  10. Excellent blog right here! Also your web site quite a bit
    up very fast! What web host are you the use of? Can I am getting your affiliate hyperlink in your host?
    I wish my website loaded up as quickly as yours lol

    Feel free to visit my webpage – tanhua666.com

  11. This is the perfect website for anyone who wishes to find out
    about this topic. You know a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I personally will need to…HaHa).
    You certainly put a fresh spin on a topic which has been written about for decades.
    Wonderful stuff, just excellent!

    My blog post … sesdoc.ru

  12. I think that everything said was actually very logical.
    But, what about this? what if you composed a catchier title?
    I am not suggesting your content is not solid, however what
    if you added a post title that grabbed people’s attention? I mean Nigerian student
    shocked to see friend's body in anatomy class – Law and Society Magazine.
    is a little vanilla. You should look at Yahoo’s home page and note how they create article headlines
    to get viewers to open the links. You might try adding a
    video or a picture or two to get readers excited about what you’ve got to say.

    In my opinion, it could make your blog a little livelier.

    My web-site – https://nerdgaming.science/wiki/Pump_Up_Your_Gross_Sales_With_These_Remarkable_Minecraft_Servers_Ways

  13. Woah! I’m really enjoying the template/theme of this blog.
    It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s difficult to get that “perfect balance” between user friendliness and visual appeal.

    I must say you have done a great job with this. In addition, the blog
    loads extremely quick for me on Internet explorer.
    Outstanding Blog!

    Also visit my web page :: arto-usolie.ru

  14. You actually make it seem really easy with your presentation however I to find this topic to be actually one thing which I feel
    I’d never understand. It sort of feels too complicated
    and very extensive for me. I am taking a look forward to your next put up, I will attempt to get the hold of it!

    Also visit my site … canvas.instructure.com

  15. Hello! Someone in my Myspace group shared this site
    with us so I came to check it out. I’m definitely loving the information. I’m
    bookmarking and will be tweeting this to my followers!
    Outstanding blog and amazing design.

    Here is my blog post :: algowiki.win

  16. Very great post. I simply stumbled upon your blog and wished to say that I’ve truly enjoyed surfing around your blog posts.
    After all I’ll be subscribing on your rss feed and
    I hope you write once more very soon!

    My homepage – 5zyyy.com

  17. My developer is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP.
    I have always disliked the idea because of the
    expenses. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using
    Movable-type on a variety of websites for about a year and am worried about switching to another platform.
    I have heard very good things about blogengine.net.

    Is there a way I can transfer all my wordpress posts into it?

    Any help would be really appreciated!

    My webpage … shisha.from.kg

  18. hello there and thank you for your info – I’ve definitely picked up
    something new from right here. I did however expertise several technical points using
    this site, since I experienced to reload the website a lot of times previous
    to I could get it to load correctly. I had been wondering if your web hosting is OK?
    Not that I am complaining, but sluggish loading instances times
    will very frequently affect your placement in google and
    could damage your high-quality score if ads and marketing with Adwords.
    Well I am adding this RSS to my e-mail and could look out for much more of
    your respective fascinating content. Ensure that you update this
    again soon.

    Here is my web-site; petsarepeopletoo.biz

  19. Hi I am so glad I found your site, I really found you
    by error, while I was searching on Aol for something else, Anyways I am here now and
    would just like to say thanks a lot for a incredible post and a all round thrilling blog
    (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to read it all at the
    moment but I have book-marked it and also included
    your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read more,
    Please do keep up the great work.

    Here is my site :: http://al-frasha.com/index.php?qa=user&qa_1=oiljeff0

  20. This design is incredible! You certainly know how to keep a reader amused.

    Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog
    (well, almost…HaHa!) Fantastic job. I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it.
    Too cool!

    Feel free to visit my webpage :: dammwild.net

  21. Have you ever considered writing an ebook or guest authoring on other
    blogs? I have a blog based upon on the same topics you discuss and would really
    like to have you share some stories/information. I know my subscribers would appreciate your
    work. If you’re even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an e mail.

    Stop by my web site; mosabqat.net

  22. Greetings from Idaho! I’m bored to tears at work so I decided to browse
    your blog on my iphone during lunch break.

    I really like the knowledge you present here and can’t
    wait to take a look when I get home. I’m surprised at
    how fast your blog loaded on my mobile .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G ..

    Anyhow, great blog!

    Feel free to visit my page – idea.informer.com

  23. Today, I went to the beachfront with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to
    my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She placed
    the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.
    She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is entirely off topic but I had to tell someone!

    Also visit my webpage https://earnvisits.com/index.php?page=user&action=pub_profile&id=362529

  24. Hey just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let
    you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading correctly.
    I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two
    different browsers and both show the same results.

    my page – snt-orion.ru

  25. When I originally commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get
    several e-mails with the same comment. Is there
    any way you can remove people from that service?
    Appreciate it!

    my page – matkafasi.com

  26. Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could add to my blog
    that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates.
    I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have some experience with something like this.
    Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.

    Take a look at my blog post 81jdrc.com

  27. Have you ever considered creating an ebook or guest authoring on other sites?

    I have a blog based upon on the same subjects you discuss and would love
    to have you share some stories/information. I know my readers would value your work.
    If you’re even remotely interested, feel free
    to shoot me an e mail.

  28. Hey I am so glad I found your blog, I really found you by mistake, while I
    was researching on Digg for something else, Anyways I am here now and would just like to say thank you
    for a fantastic post and a all round interesting blog (I
    also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to go through it all at the
    moment but I have book-marked it and also included your RSS
    feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great
    deal more, Please do keep up the excellent jo.

    my website – http://ejabtak.com/index.php?qa=user&qa_1=pathplier6

  29. It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d without a doubt donate to this excellent
    blog! I guess for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS
    feed to my Google account. I look forward to fresh updates
    and will talk about this site with my Facebook group. Talk soon!

    Here is my web page; manchesterclopedia.win

  30. I like the valuable information you provide in your articles.
    I will bookmark your weblog and check again here regularly.
    I’m quite certain I will learn plenty of new stuff right here!
    Good luck for the next!

    Also visit my blog post fkwiki.win

  31. Hi! I understand this is sort of off-topic but I needed to ask.

    Does operating a well-established website such as yours take a large amount
    of work? I am brand new to blogging however I do write in my journal on a daily basis.
    I’d like to start a blog so I will be able to share my experience and feelings online.
    Please let me know if you have any suggestions or tips for
    new aspiring blog owners. Appreciate it!

    My webpage; http://www.escortbodrum.org/author/legscene4/

  32. Howdy would you mind sharing which blog platform you’re working with?
    I’m looking to start my own blog in the near future but I’m having a tough time making a decision between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal.

    The reason I ask is because your design and style seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for something unique.
    P.S My apologies for being off-topic but I had to ask!

    Feel free to surf to my web-site – androideos.ru

  33. I like the helpful information you provide for your articles.

    I will bookmark your blog and take a look at once more right here frequently.
    I’m quite certain I will learn a lot of new stuff right here!
    Best of luck for the next!

    Here is my webpage :: dadpars.com

  34. Have you ever thought about writing an e-book or guest authoring on other sites?
    I have a blog based upon on the same information you discuss and would really
    like to have you share some stories/information. I know my subscribers would enjoy your
    work. If you’re even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me
    an e-mail.

    My webpage … ezproxy.cityu.edu.hk

  35. I was wondering if you ever thought of changing the page layout of your
    site? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say.
    But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with
    it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or two images.
    Maybe you could space it out better?

    Here is my blog – gticlub.lv

  36. You’re so awesome! I don’t think I have read
    something like that before. So good to discover someone
    with a few original thoughts on this subject matter.
    Seriously.. thanks for starting this up. This website is one thing that is needed on the web, someone with a little originality!

    Also visit my homepage: pastelink.net

  37. We are a group of volunteers and opening a new scheme
    in our community. Your site provided us with valuable info to work on. You’ve done a formidable job and our entire community will be grateful to you.

    Take a look at my page :: v.gd

  38. Hi I am so grateful I found your site, I really found
    you by error, while I was browsing on Yahoo for something else, Nonetheless I am here now and would just like to say thanks a
    lot for a tremendous post and a all round thrilling blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time
    to read it all at the moment but I have bookmarked it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do
    keep up the awesome b.

    Feel free to surf to my page :: http://dowing-studio.com/home.php?mod=space&uid=218268

  39. Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of
    any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest
    twitter updates. I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for
    quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have some experience with something
    like this. Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look
    forward to your new updates.

    Here is my blog xiaozhizhen.com

  40. Hey just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your article seem to be running off the screen in Safari.
    I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with web browser compatibility but I figured I’d post to let you
    know. The style and design look great though! Hope you get the issue resolved soon. Cheers

    Feel free to surf to my website: matkafasi.com

  41. Does your blog have a contact page? I’m having trouble locating it but, I’d like to shoot you an email.
    I’ve got some ideas for your blog you might
    be interested in hearing. Either way, great site and I
    look forward to seeing it develop over time.

    Also visit my webpage … shebaolife.com

  42. May I simply say what a comfort to find a person that actually knows what they are talking about on the internet.
    You definitely know how to bring a problem to light and make it
    important. More people have to read this and understand this side of your story.
    It’s surprising you aren’t more popular given that you definitely possess
    the gift.

    my page :: http://www.inventables.com

  43. Hey just wanted to give you a quick heads up.

    The words in your content seem to be running off the screen in Ie.

    I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or
    something to do with internet browser compatibility but I
    figured I’d post to let you know. The layout look great though!
    Hope you get the problem fixed soon. Kudos

    my web page bit.ly

  44. Hey fantastic website! Does running a blog like this require a large amount of work?
    I have absolutely no understanding of programming however I was hoping to start my own blog in the near future.

    Anyways, should you have any suggestions or techniques for
    new blog owners please share. I understand this is off topic however I just
    wanted to ask. Cheers!

    Here is my web-site … classified.citylive.com

  45. You actually make it appear so easy with your presentation however I in finding this
    matter to be actually one thing that I think I’d never understand.
    It kind of feels too complex and very wide for me.
    I am taking a look ahead on your subsequent publish, I will attempt
    to get the cling of it!

    Here is my homepage; discuss

  46. Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you
    knew of any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter
    updates. I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some
    time and was hoping maybe you would have some
    experience with something like this. Please let me know if you run into anything.

    I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.

    my web page – hawkee.com

  47. hello there and thank you for your information – I have definitely picked up something new from right here.
    I did however expertise some technical issues using this web site, as
    I experienced to reload the site many times previous to
    I could get it to load properly. I had been wondering
    if your web host is OK? Not that I’m complaining, but slow loading instances times will very
    frequently affect your placement in google and can damage your high quality score if advertising
    and marketing with Adwords. Anyway I am adding this RSS to my
    e-mail and could look out for a lot more of your respective interesting content.

    Ensure that you update this again very soon.

    Feel free to visit my webpage … http://zemhe.com/home.php?mod=space&uid=190961

Stay Connected.

1,169,000FansLike
34,567FollowersFollow
1,401,000FollowersFollow
0SubscribersSubscribe
- Advertisement -

Latest Articles