The Management of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Epe, through its Legal and Environmental Health Services Departments, has issued an urgent public notice, calling on members of the public to come forward and identify or claim the remains of deceased bodies currently lying unclaimed in the hospital’s morgue.
This decision, the hospital says, follows months of waiting and the continued non-appearance of relatives of the deceased, as well as increasing cost implications of keeping the bodies, coupled with the health and environmental hazards the situation now poses.
A recent inspection by the hospital’s Environmental Health Services Department revealed that about 270 unclaimed corpses (comprising 170 adults and 100 children) are still being kept in the morgue. Many of these remains have been preserved accordingly for several years, with some dating back so many years.
“We issue this urgent notice regarding the remains of deceased persons who are yet to be identified or claimed by their families,” the Legal Department announced.
“We hereby request relatives and friends who have missing their loved ones to please come forward to identify and claim the bodies for dignified burial.
The prolonged storage has led to serious overcrowding in the mortuary and is “negatively telling on the hospital purse.”
The hospital also confirmed that all necessary legal approval has been secured to proceed with the mass burial.
The Federal Medical Centre, Epe (formerly known as General Hospital, Epe), has therefore set Sunday, September 21, 2025, as the date for the mass burial of all unclaimed corpses.
To claim a corpse, the concerned individuals must bring the following documents for genuine and proper identification:
I. A valid form of identification for yourself (National ID, Driver’s License, Voter’s Card, or International Passport).
II. Any form of identification for the missing/deceased person (e.g., photographs, medical records, national ID copy).
III. Proof of relationship, such as a birth certificate, family photograph, or any strong evidence of ties.
The hospital is once again appealing to members of the public who may have missing relatives or unclaimed corpses at FMC, Epe to take this final opportunity to come forward before the deadline.
For more information, the concerned individuals are advised to contact the Medical Records Department or the Environmental Health Services Department at:
Federal Medical Centre,
1, Hospital Road, Papa, Epe, Lagos State.
