Former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has approved funds to facilitate the immediate release of corpses abandoned at the Eastern Nigeria Medical Centre in Enugu to their families.
The initiative focuses on bodies kept at the mortuary of the Eastern Nigeria Medical Centre in Enugu State that families have been unable to claim due to outstanding bills.
Many families reportedly leave the remains of relatives in hospital mortuaries when they cannot settle the required fees.
Nnaji’s intervention aims to assist affected families by covering the costs required for the release of these bodies, allowing them to take their deceased relatives for burial.
According to the report, the former minister approved funds specifically to support the release of the bodies to their respective families at the Eastern Nigeria Medical Centre in Enugu.
The gesture is also linked to Nnaji’s personal circumstances, as the body of his mother is currently kept at the same facility.
The initiative began on March 3, 2026, and is expected to continue until March 20, 2026, when his mother’s body is scheduled to leave the mortuary.
Families who wish to benefit from the arrangement have been asked to contact the mortuary attendant at the medical centre for verification and processing.
The funding support is expected to assist families who could not retrieve the remains of their loved ones because of unpaid mortuary fees. The development may also reduce the number of unclaimed bodies at the medical facility.
Community members in the state have reportedly commended the intervention, describing it as a humanitarian gesture aimed at easing the financial burden on affected families.
