Exhumations: rarely done procedure but useful in many circumstances—a review of 47 cases in Nigeria (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Medical Toxicology and Forensic Medicine, 2022
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Exhumation-Abduction with Violent Death in South Eastern Nigeria from 2007-2011
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Traditional Methods of Preserving Dead Human Bodies in Southeastern Nigeria
Traditional methods of preserving dead human bodies have been of immense importance in many societies. This practice has been sustained for thousands of years for cultural, religious and socio-environmental reasons. Although there is dearth of literature on the preservation of dead bodies in Nigeria, ethnographic evidences revealed that the tradition is still practised in parts of Igboland. This paper examines the traditional methods employed by the people of Southeast Nigeria in preserving dead human bodies and argues that the tradition can be harnessed for cultural tourism, while promoting the culture of the people. Introduction In Southeastern Nigeria, death is not seen as the ultimate end of life; but the beginning of new life in the spiritual world – the land of the ancestors. Thus, death is a transition (Talbot 1932:25; Okpoko 1983; Okpoko 1993:105). Death is classified into two categories – bad death (ajo onwu) and good death (onwu chi). The former is believed to be caused by infectious diseases like leprosy, swollen stomachs, small pox etc. and therefore does not attract funeral rites of any kind, neither are the corpses preserved. Instead, they are usually rapped in cloths/mats and thrown into the bad bush (ajo ofia). The latter refers to death at old age; thus, the privileges of being re-incarnated are accorded to those who died a good death. Onwu chi attracts funeral rites and the corpses can also be preserved. Preservation of dead human body or embalmment is the act of treating the dead human body in order to reduce the presence and growth of microorganism , to retard decomposition and to restore an acceptable physical appearance (Frederick 1989). In pre-colonial Igbo societies, as in many parts of the world, corpses are preserved traditionally for some days before burial to enable family members and relations/friends plan a befitting burial for the deceased. The traditional mortuary rites are still being performed mainly by non-Christians in Southeastern Nigeria. In many instances, the modern methods are complemented by traditional ones and there is the fear that the latter may become extinct in our study areas, since the adherents to traditional religion are increasingly reducing. This explains why there is need to document this tradition.
Embalming of Early Decomposing Strangled Homicides in Anambra State, Nigeria: A Validation Study
Scholars International Journal of Anatomy and Physiology, 2022
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THE PREVALENCE AND THE CRIMINALITY OF RESIDENTIAL BURIAL PRACTICES IN IBADAN, NIGERIA
FUOYE Journal of Criminology and Security Studies (FJCSS), 2022
Residential burial has been the major practice of Ibadan people that is culturally inherited from their ancestors. It is a general belief among the Yoruba people that the spirit of the dead protects the living and burial ground serve as a historical background for the family. The practice of residential burial has been criminalized under Nigeria Criminal code Act C38 No 246. Residential burial is a criminal offence which the offender is guilty of misdemeanor and is liable to six (6) months imprisonment. The greater percentage of the Yoruba people is ignorant of the residential burial law and this has been the major boost to the practices. This study is aimed at empirically examined the prevalence and criminality of residential burial practices among the Yoruba people of Ibadan Oyo state Nigeria. The study adopted qualitative method and this includes; observation, Key Informant Interview, In-depth Interview and Case Study. Data was collected and analysis was done using verbatim quotation. Therefore, the research found out that, majority of the respondents are ignorant about the existence of the criminal code that prohibits residential burial; hence, its practice becomes inevitable. The research discovered that, most people believe that cemeteries are not safe for corpses and there are normative cultural values that are embedded in residential burial practices in Ibadan Nigeria. The study recommended that; government should educate members of the community (Ibadan residents) about the danger of burying corpses in the home of residence through several awareness programs.
Profile of unnatural mortalities in Northern part of Ghana; a forensic-based autopsy study
Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 2019
Introduction: Bereavement is usually difficult to come to terms with. However, sudden, violent or traumatic death can be particularly hard to accept for any family, group or nation as a whole. A retrospective study of all autopsies on unnatural and traumatic deaths of medico-legal importance was made at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital from 2008 to 2016. Methods: Information on cause of death and other relevant detail as well as demographics were extracted from the Autopsy Log Book of the department of pathology, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital where data on cause of death from autopsy findings and other relevant data were gathered and kept secured. The data was then analyzed using SPSS version 22. Results: Findings from the study showed that Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) contributed to 58.51% of the total forensic death cases of a total of the 1470 registered unnatural deaths. Males accounted for 75.37% of deaths as compared to 24.63% for females. The mean age for the various cause of unnatural deaths was 34 years. The age ranges from a minimum of 0.02 year (1 week) to a maximum of 97 years with median age of 33. The modal age is 30 years with 75 cases. 1108 males and 362 females were involved, resulting in a gender ratio of 3:1. The age group 30-39 recorded the highest percentage of deaths due to Hanging, Gunshots, RTA and Falls with 22.45%, 34.69%, 21.75% and 25.44% respectively. Children aged ≤9 recorded the highest number of deaths due to chemical poisoning and drowning with 25.5 8% and 40.00% of cases respectively. People in the extremes of ages (≤9 and ≥ 70) recorded the least number of death cases by percentage. Conclusion: Road traffic accident is therefore the leading cause of unnatural traumatic deaths as it accounted for more than half of all unnatural traumatic death cases reported in the forensics department. Men, especially the youth are also more prone to violent unnatural deaths compared to women in general. It is shown that, men die more in the various categories than women. Males are likely to die on the average, 3 times more than the females by any of the manner of deaths. among others that may require further criminal investigation and
Profile of Autopsy in a Tertiary Hospital in Abuja, Nigeria: A Ten- Year Review
Background: Hospital autopsy though acknowledged to be an important health care component is on significant decline worldwide. We present the autopsy rate of a tertiary hospital in a developing country. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analytic study of the autopsy records of the department of Histopathology and the Health records department of the National Hospital Abuja. Results: The crude autopsy rate in the hospital is 11% with an approximate annual rate of 86 autopsies. The commonest age group autopsied is the 31 to 40 year cohort, predominantly males in all ages. Coma, haemorrhagic and cardiac shock are the commonest immediate cause of death whilst cardiovascular lesions are the predominant underlying cause of death. Conclusions: Autopsy rate is low and gradually declining in the National Hospital Abuja. A concerted effort from clinician, pathologist, policy-makers and the general public is needed to arrest the trend.
Anatomic inquiry into burial disposal
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Background: A human comprises body, soul and spirit; following death, the body left behind must be disposed. Terrestrial interment is favourite amongst kinsfolks and Anatomy as a discipline has a role by way of archaeology, forensics and training. This study inquired about practices in Nigeria and specifically into body decomposition, cemeteries’ potential for groundwater contamination, and gestural sign of artefacts in archaeologic auditing. Methods: A proforma with socio-demographics and burial characteristics designed and performed in Southwestern, Nigeria. Burial depths were measured with tape after gaining consent from relations. Collation and analysis of data by statistical package for social sciences. Results: Burial grounds of 307 were randomly explored within a year with male-to-female ratio of 3 to 2; Christianity 246(80.1%), Islam 43(14.0%), African Traditional Religions 15(4.9%) and others 3(1.0%); Diseases and old age were major causes of death and 67.1% had embalmmen...