Court remands mortician for allegedly stealing corpse from a mortuary.
A Chief Magistrate’s Court in Makurdi on Thursday ordered that 37-year-old mortician Valentine Eze be remanded at the Correctional Centre for allegedly stealing a corpse.
Eze, who lives in N.K.S.T. Ukauwa in Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue, was charged with criminal breach of trust.
However, when the case was called, the defendant pleaded not guilty.
Chief Magistrate Mrs. Regina Alashi ordered that the defendant be remanded and adjourned the case until March 3 for a hearing.
Earlier, prosecutor Insp Friday Kanshio told the court that the case was transferred from the Divisional Police Headquarters, Igho, to the State CID, Makurdi, via a letter.
The letter stated that Terna Orumye reported that his nephew’s corpse was missing from the mortuary.
Orumye said he deposited his nephew’s corpse at N.K.S.T. Mkar mortuary under the care of the defendant, who was the mortician, for preservation and embalming.
He added that when he returned to the mortuary on December 18, 2025, to pick up the corpse for burial, the defendant refused to produce it.
The complainant said the defendant claimed the corpse had been stolen by unknown persons.
The prosecutor stated that the defendant was arrested and that, during the police investigation, he confessed to the crime.
The prosecutor noted that the offense violates Section 313 of the Penal Code Law of Benue, 2004.( NAN)
