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Nigeria police overwhelm morgue | Nigeria police overwhelm morgue |
(9 minutes later) | |
A Nigerian hospital has told the BBC it is overwhelmed by the number of corpses being brought to them by police. | A Nigerian hospital has told the BBC it is overwhelmed by the number of corpses being brought to them by police. |
The Chief Medical Director at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in Enugu says his staff are being forced to carry out mass burials. | The Chief Medical Director at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in Enugu says his staff are being forced to carry out mass burials. |
The BBC has established that at least seven people were last seen alive in police custody, accused of kidnapping. | The BBC has established that at least seven people were last seen alive in police custody, accused of kidnapping. |
Enugu State Police Commissioner Mohamed Zarewa told the BBC he was too busy to talk about their case. | Enugu State Police Commissioner Mohamed Zarewa told the BBC he was too busy to talk about their case. |
This boy was not an armed robber. He was never a thief, much less an armed robber Chief Dennis Onovo Police issuing corpses and denials | |
Nigeria's police have faced strong criticism from human rights groups for carrying out extrajudicial and arbitrary killings. | Nigeria's police have faced strong criticism from human rights groups for carrying out extrajudicial and arbitrary killings. |
Amnesty international is presenting the results of a three-year investigation on Wednesday, in which they will describe the level of police killings as shocking. | |
The BBC has visited the morgue and taken photographs. The images are disturbing. | The BBC has visited the morgue and taken photographs. The images are disturbing. |
They show piles of young men, lying on top of one another and strewn about on tables and floors. | They show piles of young men, lying on top of one another and strewn about on tables and floors. |
In places the corpses are stacked four or five deep. | In places the corpses are stacked four or five deep. |
Officers killed | Officers killed |
Records show 75 corpses were delivered to the morgue by police between June and 26 November this year. | Records show 75 corpses were delivered to the morgue by police between June and 26 November this year. |
Some of the bodies were piled on top of each other | Some of the bodies were piled on top of each other |
The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Anthony Mbah, says his staff were forced to carry out a mass burial of between 70 and 80 bodies some weeks ago. | The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Anthony Mbah, says his staff were forced to carry out a mass burial of between 70 and 80 bodies some weeks ago. |
He says that another mass burial is planned to take place soon. | He says that another mass burial is planned to take place soon. |
Seven of those in the morgue were arrested, accused of kidnapping, and paraded alive in front of the media in early September. | Seven of those in the morgue were arrested, accused of kidnapping, and paraded alive in front of the media in early September. |
But their names appear in the morgue register - on 15 and 16 of September. | But their names appear in the morgue register - on 15 and 16 of September. |
Police Commissioner Zarewa told the BBC he was unaware of the number of young men lying dead in the morgue. | Police Commissioner Zarewa told the BBC he was unaware of the number of young men lying dead in the morgue. |
He says his officers are forced to engage armed robbers in gunfights and that many police officers are also killed. | He says his officers are forced to engage armed robbers in gunfights and that many police officers are also killed. |
He insists that his police force operate within the law. | He insists that his police force operate within the law. |