By Esther Onyegbula

The Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital (NNRH), Ojo, Lagos, has called on members of the public to urgently claim the bodies of deceased relatives deposited in its mortuary between August 2018 and December 2025.

In the notice, the hospital warned that all unclaimed bodies would be subjected to a mass burial if they are not claimed within two weeks from the date of the publication.

According to the statement, relatives of the deceased are required to come forward with the necessary proof of identification and documentation to facilitate the release of the bodies within the stipulated period.

The hospital management stated that failure to comply with the directive would leave it with no option but to liaise with the appropriate government authorities to carry out a mass burial of the unclaimed bodies, without further notice or recourse to families or next of kin.

“This is to inform members of the public whose deceased relatives were deposited in the mortuary of the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, Ojo, to come forward with the necessary proof to collect the bodies within two weeks of this publication,” the notice read.

It added: “The hospital would liaise with the appropriate government authorities immediately after this deadline to conduct a mass burial for the unclaimed bodies without further recourse to the families or relatives.”
The notice, signed by the Commander of the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, Ojo, was described as a final appeal to the general public to avert the impending mass burial exercise.

Hospitals across the country have in recent years grappled with congestion in mortuaries due to the increasing number of unclaimed bodies, often attributed to poverty, lack of identification, family disputes, and prolonged police investigations.
The Navy hospital urged the public to treat the notice with urgency, stressing that it serves as sufficient notification to all concerned persons.