CONFUSION AS 115-YEAR-OLD MAN'S CORPSE GOES MISSING FROM ANAMBRA MORTUARY

The disappearance of the body of the oldest man caused consternation in Amansea, Awka North Local Government Area, Anambra State.

The corpse of the community's oldest man, Pa Micheal Nwanwuba Onyekwelu, went missing from a mortuary in Amansea, Awka North Local Government Area, Anambra State.

Late Pa Onyekwelu, the oldest man in Amansea town, died and his body was deposited at one Regina Hospital in the town to clear the way for burial services at the deceased's family house in Orebe village in the local government area.

Coincidentally, arrangements for the funeral rituals had been completed, with a sympathy wake to be held on Thursday at the family home, while a church ceremony and final internment were scheduled for last week Friday.

Members of the community and allies, including hordes of clergies, had descended on both the community and Saint Anthony's Catholic Church Amansea, the location of the burial service, only to discover the corpse was missing.

Investigations revealed that another family from an unidentified community in Nsukka, Enugu State, which deposited their father's body, mistakenly took away the remains of late Pa. Onyekwelu and buried him two weeks ago before the actual bereaved family came for the corpse last week Friday.

It was also learned that Pa. Micheal Onyekwelu had cautioned his children not to place his body in the mortuary when he died.

But, as fate would have it, one of his sons, a Catholic priest (names withheld), was said to have taken their father's corpse to the mortuary so that a proper church service and burial rites could be performed before the unexpected happened.

Hundreds of admirers who flocked to the community and church grounds to pay their final respects to the late centenarian were claimed to have returned home dejected and awestruck. Several canopies were quickly emptied as word of the strange development spread throughout the community.

Efforts to get any of the man's children to speak on the incident failed as the bereaved family members were busy trying to resolve the impasse with the Nsukka people in order to exhume the body of the deceased for proper burial. Further findings showed that the body of Pa Onyekwelu was finally exhumed and taken back to Orebe community for burial last Saturday evening.

The Bishop of the Awka Catholic Diocese, as well as numerous Reverend Fathers, Reverend Sisters, and others, were astounded by the news. Those that stayed despite the event were provided a variety of food and drinks.

Attempts to communicate with any of the man's children failed because the grieved family members were too preoccupied with resolving the deadlock with the Nsukka people in order to exhume the deceased's remains for proper burial. According to additional information, Pa Onyekwelu's remains was finally exhumed and returned to the Orebe community for burial late Saturday evening.