MASSOB Calls for Ban on Keeping Corpses in Mortuaries, Says It Fuels Crime in Igbo Land
The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has urged South-East governors and religious leaders to ban the practice of keeping corpses in mortuaries, citing spiritual and societal consequences.
The group also called on churches to stop allowing caskets and corpses into places of worship during funerals, insisting that such practices defile the sanctity of the church.
In a statement released on Monday, March 10, MASSOB leader, Comrade Uchenna Madu, warned that unburied corpses in mortuaries remain restless, influencing young people towards crime, immorality, and violence.
“The wandering and restless spirits of unburied dead bodies in mortuaries continuously possess young people, leading them into various criminal, evil, and wicked acts without fear of the consequences,” Madu stated.
He further claimed that these spiritual influences have corrupted the moral fabric of society, replacing godly values with a thirst for bloodshed, materialism, and illicit wealth acquisition.
According to Madu, the growing trend of prolonged corpse preservation has contributed to the rise of get-rich-quick mindsets among Igbo youths.
MASSOB also stressed that it is against Igbo tradition to keep corpses for more than four market days, calling on South-East governors to outlaw the mortuary business.
“The spirit of a dead person cannot rest until it is buried. The presence of corpses in churches corrupts the holiness of the house of God. We urge traditional rulers, religious leaders, and governors to take action and ban this practice,” the statement added.
The group appealed for immediate intervention to restore cultural values and curb the negative societal impact of keeping bodies in mortuaries for extended periods.