The family of a 14-year-old boy, Mubarak Sanyaolu, who was allegedly killed by a stray bullet on November 4, 2021, at the Command bus stop in the Meiran area of Lagos State, has raised the alarm over the mysterious disappearance of the deceased’s corpse at the Lagos Mainland Hospital mortuary.
Mubarak, an apprentice and secondary school student, was hit by a bullet allegedly shot by a police officer attached to the Meiran Police Command while returning from his workshop. He died instantly after the bullet ripped open his stomach.
The incident happened while the officers were said to be dispersing tricycle riders who were protesting the alleged killing of their colleague by the police over an N100 bribe.
The police had since the incident deposited the corpse in the mortuary for an investigation. The family thereafter accused the police of not being forthcoming in the investigation.
Olamilekan, however, lamented during a chat with our correspondent on Wednesday that the facility could not provide the corpse of his son upon request to retrieve it for burial.
Olamilekan explained that while he presented the police clearance to retrieve the body on Thursday, January 16, the morgue attendants disclosed that the corpse was no longer there and might have been discarded for a mass burial.
He said, “I am still trying to come to terms with the shocking news that my son’s body has gone missing from the morgue. For three years, I’ve been patiently waiting for the police to conclude their investigation into Mubarak’s death. Instead of getting updates or closure, I’ve been met with delay tactics and empty promises.
“When I finally decided to bury my son at my own expense, I requested a letter from the police and I took it to the morgue. When I presented it, I was told that the body had been removed from the morgue and that it was likely buried in a mass grave. This is a body that was supposed to be under police investigation. I am having trouble understanding how this could have happened without the police being aware of it. As a father, I’m still grieving the loss of my son. Mubarak was taken from me far too soon, and now it feels like his body has been taken away from me again.”
Olalekan however demanded justice and closure for his family, while calling on the management of the hospital to explain what happened to his son’s body.
“The police and the morgue need to provide me with answers. They owe it to me, they owe it to my family, and they owe it to the memory of my son,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, the family had in a letter written through its lawyer, Olalekan Matti, demanded details of the mass burial of the deceased.
Matti in the letter addressed to the Medical Director of the hospital and seen by PUNCH Metro on Wednesday requested information on the date of the mass burial, location of the mass grave site and any other relevant information regarding the burial within seven days.
“As you are aware, the case surrounding the death of the accused is subject to and pending and still under investigation so our client was shocked when he got the news that the deceased was buried prematurely in a mass grave. Our client was not informed that the deceased was already buried as we were hoping that an autopsy would be done on the deceased before the corpse was released back to the family members.
“As such, we kindly request that you provide us with the following details concerning the mass burial: Date of the mass burial, Location of the mass grave site, and any other relevant information regarding the mass burial Please provide us with this information within the next seven days. Your cooperation and assistance in this matter are greatly appreciated,” the letter partly read.
Meanwhile, the late Mubarak’s father stated that the hospital had yet to respond to the request even after the seven days elapsed.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, did not respond to calls made to his telephone. A text message sent tobhim had yet to be replied to as of the time this report was filed.
