Rivers Denies Gunmen Exhumed COVID-19 Corpse In PH

The Rivers State Government has denied report in the social media that unknown gunmen exhumed the corpse of late Chairman of Asari-Toru Local Government Area, Odiari Princewill.

BIGPEN reports late Princewill died in the early hours of Thursday of coronavirus and was instantly buried at the Port Harcourt cemetery in line with the COVID-19 burial protocol by officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC.

But reports which went viral on social media on Saturday morning, however, claimed that the deceased’s body was exhumed by gunmen suspected to be native of Buguma, his hometown.

Reacting to the rumour making the rounds, the government in a statement by Paulinus Nsirim, Commissioner for Information and Communications, said that the grave where the deceased was interred is still intact as no one has tampered with it.

“The Rivers State Government wish to state that the rumour making the rounds that the body of the late Chairman of Asari-Toru Local Government Area, Odiari Princewill has been exhumed from the Port Harcourt cemetery is baseless and untrue.

“The grave where the deceased was interred is still intact as no one has tampered with it.

“Government hereby warns families, friends and relations who may want to desecrate the grave of the deceased that the full weight of the law will be visited on them.

“Security agencies have therefore been placed on red alert to ensure that only authorized persons come near the cemetery.

“Any unauthorized person found around the cemetery will be arrested and prosecuted”, the statement warned.