By Jimitota Onoyume, Port Harcourt

THE serene atmosphere in Pend Motel, located on Elelenwo road, an outskirt of Port Harcourt was jolted that Monday night when a strange casket found its way into the hotel premises.

The Executive Chairman of the hotel, Mr Solomon Edebiri(MON) was just settling down for an interview session with this reporter in one of his expansive offices in the hotel when he received a call.  Like one who mistakenly sat on a pin, he quickly jumped up from his seat, saying there was an emergency as “a casket has been found in my hotel”.

He headed straight to the reception room where most of his workers were already gathered talking about the issue in hush tones. This reporter trudged behind him.

*The box-like casket lying in the pick-up car.

At the reception, the Chairman gave orders to his Mobile Police orderlies and his hotel security men to trace the owners of the casket that was lying in a Mercedes Benz wagon with registration number KU 762 KJA at the extreme end of the hotel. And in minutes the security men were seen dragging three men, including a Mobile Police man they found in one of the rooms to him.

The men who gave their names as Godwin Eguago, Ignatius Chukwu Emeka and Corporal Karal Ekpo admitted that they brought the casket into the premises. Godwin was the first to speak. He said the casket had his in-law, the late Arinze Chukwu Emeka who died in an auto crash in far way Germany. And it was flown into the state that day through the Port Harcourt international airport, Omagwa.

According to him, after the formalities at the airport they felt it was already late to continue their journey to Enugu; that was why they ended up at the hotel with it.

When asked why they did not make it known to the hotel management that they were with a corpse when they were checking in, he said it was a mistake on their part.  He was also asked to explain why they did not consider it proper to take the corpse to a mortuary in the state that night since it is the proper home for a corpse. He said that was his first time in Port Harcourt, implying that he did not know where to find a morgue

The second person, Mr Ignatius corroborated Godwin’s story, adding that the deceased was his elder brother. On his part, Corporal Ekpo said this was the first time he would be escorting a corpse. He said he was asked to join them by his boss, a personal assistant to one of the governors in the eastern states.

Meanwhile, as this was happening the Police had been contacted and they soon arrived the scene.  The gathering was not convinced with the accounts of the three men apparently because the casket was looking more like a crate. So they insisted it should be opened to confirm its content.

*The box-like casket when it was opened

At this point, one other person who later joined the motley crowd identified himself as the one who brought the casket from Germany. He said because of the harmful chemicals used to embalm the corpse it would not be possible to open it. Before it could be opened according to him everybody around must be about one kilometre away from the casket, a statement that fuelled suspicions; people started doubting if truly the casket had a corpse.

Will the casket not be opened before interment? This was one of the questions that ran through many lips simultaneously. Insistence that the casket be opened became more forceful. At this point, men of the Joint Task Force were contacted. Before their arrival it was resolved that the casket be moved to the Military Hospital on Aba Road in Port Harcourt for opening. The Police headed with it to the hospital and were later joined by men of the JTF.

Casket locked in a guardroom.

It was about 2am when they arrived the military hospital. And the hospital authority after several contacts resolved that the casket be kept till morning before anything can be done on it. They too were worried when the man who ferried the casket from Germany said people must be about one kilometre distance away from the casket if they want to open it. Minds went to work again. Questions like why should the casket be brought to Elelenwo from Omagwa which is about 40 minutes drive when there are hotels and mortuaries in Isiokpo and around the airport.

• • • At last casket opened

IN the morning the Army re-examined the papers with which the corpse was brought into the country and expressed some reservations. Before the police, JTF, management of the hospital and owners of the casket, army pathologist, radiologist, and morticians went to work.  One of the owners of the casket was asked to take charge of the opening while he was guided from behind.

At last it was confirmed that the casket truly had the corpse of the late Emmanuel Arinze Chukwuemeka. But the nature of the corpse raised another critical question. The Army and the Police questioned the incision on it. They said since the deceased allegedly died from an accident there would have been no need for the opening. Men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA had to be invited to thoroughly scan the corpse at the end of which a fresh embalming was done because it was later discovered that the first embalming was poorly done so the corpse was decomposing

The Army Colonel who led the whole exercise at the end said nothing strange was identified with the corpse. He said probably in Germany an autopsy was done on it but the family was not given a copy of the result of the autopsy. He said it was the autopsy that informed the tear on the corpse.

Wonders like they say will never end. A casket in a hotel. And to open it,   those around must be one kilometre distance away. The foregoing triggered off the suspicion that gave birth to the whole drama.

The army and police heaved a sigh of relief when suspicions were not confirmed. Some who spoke off camera said those that handled the casket created all the stress for the deceased.  Civilians who witnessed the developments hailed the Army and the Police for the thoroughness and determination to end the mysteries around the casket.

Certainly it was a lesson to all that things should be done right.