Nigeria: Double Trouble for the Dead - 16 Months After Death, Abia Widower Still Can't Bury Wife

What the report says

For more than 16 months, an Abia State widower, Elijah Ndubuisi Amah, has been unable to bury his wife, Nkechi Florence Elijah, whose body has remained in a mortuary since her death in April 2025, according to Vanguard’s report distributed by AllAfrica. Amah, a former councillor from Umuzomgbo in Ihechiowa, Arochukwu Local Government Area, says he has spent months moving between police, courts, community leaders and state authorities seeking permission to proceed with the burial.

The article says the dispute centers on allegations involving the community’s traditional ruler, HRM Eze Linus Nto Mba, who has opposed the burial pending questions about how the woman died. Amah denies any role in his wife’s death and says her family has supported releasing her remains. He also says he has been targeted after raising concerns about community governance, including festival arrangements and revenue from telecommunications masts.

Nto Mba rejects the allegations, saying the matter was referred to police for investigation and that an autopsy was meant to clarify the cause of death. The deceased woman’s brother, David Onyema, told Vanguard the family wants the burial to go ahead and does not want an autopsy, saying it conflicts with their tradition. The report also says a court order was issued for burial within 24 hours, but the remains were still not interred when the story was published.

The case highlights how family disputes, traditional authority, and police procedures can combine to delay burial in some Nigerian communities, leaving a death unresolved long after the fact.