Amansea Tragedy: 15 Bodies To Be Exhumed For Full Autopsy

Following initial results of the ongoing autopsy being carried out on some of the bodies evacuated from Ezu River in Amansea area of Awka North Council of Anambra State, which were discovered last Saturday, the 15 other corpses already buried in mass graves at the banks of the river are now to be exhumed for full autopsy.

Commissioner for Health, Dr. Lawrence Ikeakor, who disclosed this while addressing journalists Friday on Ezu River bridge on the progress made so far to unravel the cause of deaths, stated that the autopsy on the 19 bodies would now begin on Monday.

“The autopsy will help to arrive at a comprehensive report,” he said, adding that the first autopsy carried out on three corpses on Thursday was quite revealing.

But he did not disclose full details of what had been found in their bodies on Thursday, even as he urged the public to be patient.

He appealed to members of the public to stop speculating on what caused their deaths and expressed optimism that the truth would eventually be known.

Also speaking, Commissioner for Local Government, Mrs. Azuka Enemuo explained that the state government considered the incident very worrisome and barbaric, adding that since the discoveries, the government had been trying to ascertain the actual cause or causes of the incident.

She, however, assured that adequate measures had been taken to address the problems of Amansea community by constantly supplying water to the residents, whose only source of water for domestic and economic uses had been polluted with the dumping of decomposing bodies in Ezu River by yet-to-be-identified persons.

Mrs. Enemuo said: “This is a river, which is at the boundary between Enugu and Anambra States. It actually runs from somewhere in Agbogu, Enugu State, through Oji River, crosses Anambra State and empties into River Niger.

“It is obvious that these corpses are floating from somewhere and I can tell you we haven’t seen the last of it.

“We cannot say the actual number of corpses because they are still floating down into Anambra State.”

Senator Chris Ngige, in whose zone the affected communities fall, during a visit to the area on Thursday assured them that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), would soon visit the area with medical and other forms of assistance for the people.

He donated 6,000 cartons of water to the affected community and flagged off the sinking of a fresh borehole at Ngige Square in Amansea to provide alternative source of water supply, adding that more would be sunk at Ebenebe, Ugbenu Ugbenu, Awba Ofemili, Amanuke and Mgbakwu, this year.

In the same vein, a frontline politician and philanthropist, Dr. Obinna Uzoh also donated 15,000 bags of sachet water, 500 cartons of bottled water and some amount of money for the purchase of water treatment chemicals to Amansea community to ameliorate their problems.

Uzor, who made the donation through their traditional ruler, Igwe Kenneth Okonkwo, strongly condemned the dumping of corpses in the river.

“I have come to commiserate with the Igwe and the entire community over this ugly and satanic incident, to assist the people and provide them with drinking water, give my moral and other material support,” he said.

He called for urgent steps to be taken to provide permanent solution to the water pollution problem.

Saturday 26 January 2013

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