Igbo Radio

By Izunna Okafor, Awka

The Management of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Amaku, Awka, has dismissed as false, baseless, and gross misrepresentation of facts, the reports circulating on social media alleging that body parts of a corpse deposited in the hospital’s mortuary were missing.

The clarification came in response to a viral video making the rounds on social media, wherein it was claimed that the fingers of late Victoria Ogharibe from Abagana community were found incomplete when her remains were retrieved from the hospital’s mortuary for burial.

The individual behind the video alleged that the deceased’s daughter first began to suspect some sinister move the day she went to check on her mother's corpse, as she allegedly saw the hospital’s mortician entering a vehicle parked near the mortuary with a nylon bag, only to come out later without the bag, after having spent much time in the vehicle.

The video maker also claimed that even on the day the family of the deceased came to retrieve her body for burial, the mortician allegedly discouraged them from checking the corpse and told them there was no need for that, only for the family to later discover that her fingers were allegedly missing.

In addition to his allegations, the video maker, believed to be a social media content creator, called out the hospital management, urging them to ‘settle’ with the family and condemning the institution, even without hearing their own side of the story.

However, reacting to the allegations in a statement issued to newsmen on Monday, the Management of COOUTH described the claims as a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of the hospital, insisting that the video was laden with falsehoods and misrepresentation of the true events.

Setting the records straight, the hospital revealed that the deceased was an accident victim who was rejected by a private hospital before being rushed to COOUTH unconscious and with multiple fractures and injuries. The hospital said despite all efforts by its Emergency team to resuscitate her, she passed away within two hours of arrival.

The Management, through the statement signed by the Hospital's Public Relations Officer, Public Relations Officer, further explained that the injuries shown in the video, particularly those affecting the deceased’s thumb and index finger, were consistent with the severe injuries sustained during the accident, and not a result of any tampering by hospital staff as was alleged.

It lamented that the video creator failed to disclose to the public that the deceased was an accident victim with multiple injuries and fractures. The hospital questioned the motive behind the video, especially as the individual who made it simultaneously made heinous allegations and yet suggested that the Management should 'settle' with the family—a contradiction that COOUTH found suspicious.

The Management also revealed that the matter is already under investigation by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to ascertain the truth. It vowed to seek legal redress to protect the reputation of the institution, stressing that it would not allow individuals to exploit social media to tarnish the image it has worked hard to build over the years.

“It is unfortunate that people these days create unnecessary scenes for reasons best known to them. The family, in their narrative, never said they were coerced in any way. It is childish and unnecessary for them to later claim that they were persuaded to bury their dead,” the statement read.

The Management further reiterated its commitment to upholding the highest standards of professionalism and integrity, urging the public to disregard the misleading claims circulating online.

The clarification was further corroborated by the Head of Accident and Emergency, COOUTH, Dr. Umeakunna Innocent Ikechukwu, in a video released on Monday, further setting the record straight.