The planned funeral for 13 victims of a recent armed attack in the Turan community of Benue State was thrown into disarray this Thursday, leaving grieving families and mourners stranded. The community in Jato-Aka, Kwande Local Government Area, had prepared to lay their loved ones to rest on March 12, 2026, but the ceremony was forced to a standstill when families discovered they could not gain access to the bodies.
Upon arriving at the mortuary to collect the deceased, who lost their lives in a tragic raid by suspected armed herdsmen, the families were met with an unexpected hurdle. The mortician responsible for the facility was nowhere to be found, and reports from the scene suggest he had been taken away, leaving the premises effectively locked down with no one on hand to authorize or facilitate the release of the remains.
One relative of a victim, Bemgba Numve, expressed deep frustration over the ordeal, noting that friends and family had traveled from various locations to attend the burial. Despite the collective effort to hold the ceremony as scheduled, the unexplained disappearance of the mortuary attendant made the burial impossible to proceed. Numve lamented that the situation felt like an attempt to obstruct the community from grieving and honoring their dead in peace.
He emphasized that the families remain committed to burying their own according to their customs and will simply select a new date to conduct the rites. The community is currently left in a state of limbo, waiting for clarity on the whereabouts of the attendant or an alternative way to recover the remains.
Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, for comments regarding the security situation and the missing attendant did not yield results by the time this report was prepared. The atmosphere in the community remains tense as residents look for answers in the wake of both the initial attack and this latest, highly unusual setback.
