The management of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH, have announced that there are over 50 corpses in their morgues that have been abandoned for over 10 years, more than the statutory three months period.

The UCTH management have explained that the hospital no longer has space in the morgue to preserve more bodies.

According to the hospital’s management, relatives of the deceased have not come to claim the bodies after several years.

As a result, Chairman of the Special Task Force on the Evacuation of Abandoned and Unclaimed Corpses at UCTH, Dr David Ushie, said a decision has been taken to conduct mass burial of the abandoned corpses on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, after the expiration of a three weeks grace period.

The management, however, again called on families and individuals with unclaimed corpses in the morgue to identify and retrieve them on or before October 21, 2026.

Ushie disclosed that the hospital made efforts to locate relatives of the deceased, all to no avail, warning that all bodies still unclaimed would be given mass burial without further notice.

“The October 21 deadline remains firm. The hospital would not issue another notice before carrying out the mass burial”, he stressed.

Speaking earlier on behalf of the Chief Medical Director of UCTH, Prof. Ikpeme Ikpeme, Deputy Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee in charge of Clinical Services, Dr Stephen Ogbudu, attributed the growing number of unclaimed bodies to the rising cost of burial ceremonies and cultural practices that place significant financial responsibilities on bereaved families and their in-laws.

He noted that the directive covered corpses kept in the mortuary beyond the statutory 90-day period from the date they were deposited.

He disclosed that some of the bodies had been in the morgue for more than a decade.

According to him, the prolonged storage of the bodies has made it necessary to undertake the evacuation exercise to ease pressure on the mortuary, improve sanitation and create a better environment for clinical services.

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has given the Federal Government a two-week ultimatum to resolve outstanding welfare and professional issues affecting its members or face possible industrial action.

NARD issued the ultimatum on Sunday at its 46th annual general meeting in Calabar, Cross River State, where it expressed concern over the slow implementation of agreements reached with the Federal Government.

The association said prolonged delays in addressing the issues had become unacceptable, demanding urgent action on remuneration, career progression, professional allowances, excessive workload, manpower shortages and the general welfare of resident doctors.

In resolutions read by NARD National President, Ogar Emmanuel Idoko, the doctors demanded “the immediate implementation of agreements reached with the federal government, particularly those relating to improved conditions of service and professional development”.

The association said the Federal Government had concluded a review of existing remuneration and professional salary structures for doctors, noting that the current framework no longer adequately reflected prevailing economic realities.

NARD also demanded appropriate compensation for resident doctors working beyond their normal responsibilities because of manpower shortages in hospitals.

It called for standardised templates for compensating doctors for excess workload, as well as reliable data to justify payments to those performing additional duties.

The doctors also raised concern over attacks on health workers, urging the government to fully implement existing policies and anti-assault measures designed to protect medical personnel in hospitals.

NARD further expressed concern over the continued migration of doctors and other health professionals from Nigeria.

It urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to urgently address the factors driving the exodus of medical professionals from the country.

The association also called on state governments to prioritise the welfare of doctors and other health workers in their institutions and ensure the implementation of relevant welfare policies.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has reported that 48 people have died after consuming suspected locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions in parts of Ondo State, with preliminary laboratory findings indicating high concentrations of toxic methanol in samples of the suspected drinks.

The agency, in an update signed by its Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye yesterday said a total of 182 cases had been recorded, with five victims who are now totally blind and two others partially blind.

The incident, which was initially reported in early September, affected residents of Odigbo Town, Araromi-Obu, New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo and Oniparaga in Odigbo Local Government Area. The report also listed Irele Local Government Area among the affected locations.

According to NAFDAC, the number of reported deaths initially stood at 31, comprising 20 in Odigbo Town and 11 in Araromi-Obu, but increased as investigations and surveillance progressed.

The agency said 90 affected persons had been admitted and subsequently discharged, while six remained hospitalised. Another 31 were treated as outpatients, while the remaining cases involved varying degrees of illness and complications.

NAFDAC said the clinical features reported among affected persons included headaches, generalised body weakness and pain, visual disturbances, difficulty in breathing and altered consciousness, with some cases deteriorating rapidly.

The agency disclosed that 15 people had so far been arrested in connection with the suspected production, sale and distribution of the implicated locally produced alcoholic and herbal beverages.

As part of its investigation, NAFDAC said samples of the suspected concoctions had undergone laboratory examination and toxicological studies to determine their chemical composition and identify potentially toxic substances, adulterants, contaminants or undeclared ingredients.

It said toxicological, microbiological and chemical screening was conducted on 15 unlabeled samples, while acute oral toxicity tests were performed on laboratory mice in accordance with its standard operating procedures and OECD guidelines.

The preliminary findings showed that all the samples caused critical illness in the test animals, while approximately 50 per cent mortality was recorded in six of the 15 samples analysed.

NAFDAC said the critically ill mice recovered after 24 hours of administration, but noted that there was a possibility that they could die if exposed to a second dose.

The agency further disclosed that chemical screening detected Cannabis indicated in 11 samples, while gas chromatography confirmed the presence of high concentrations of methanol.

It explained that methanol was a highly toxic substance capable of causing severe health complications, including blindness, organ failure and death.

According to NAFDAC, the combination of high mortality recorded during animal testing and the confirmed presence of methanol strongly suggested that the samples posed a serious public health risk.

However, it stressed that the findings remained preliminary and required further confirmatory analyses.

The agency said additional testing was ongoing to quantify the methanol concentration and identify other possible toxic agents in the suspected drinks.

NAFDAC said surveillance, case management, investigation and risk-control measures were ongoing, while the reported figures remained subject to verification as investigations continued.