Akwa Ibom state government says it has seized and buried a corpse that was smuggled into the state from Lagos.
The state government claimed that the corpse was that of a Coronavirus patient, smuggled into the state at night in a motor ambulance.
The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dominic Ukpong, disclosed this at a meeting of the State Incidence Management Committee held at the Ibom Specialist Hospital, Uyo, Friday.
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Ukpong said six people who were involved in the smuggling had been quarantined.
He said the corpse was transported in an ambulance from Lagos on Wednesday night and arrived Akwa Ibom borders in the early hours of Thursday.
The commissioner who is the state’s incident manager on COVID-19 regretted that despite the interstate lock down and the security on the highways, an infected corpse could be smuggled into Akwa Ibom through seven states.
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“But for the alertness of the police officers posted to our borders, the corpse would have successfully made it to its destination in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area.
“We really appreciate the point of entry team as well as the burial committee that ensured the deceased was committed to mother earth on the same day at Ikot Ebidang village, ONNA local government area,” he said.
Ukpong charged residents to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity that could jeopardise efforts to curb the spread of the virus in Akwa Ibom.
