JUTH denies report on gouged eye embalmed corpse

The Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) on Thursday denied a circulated report that the remains of a woman deposited at the hospital’s mortuary had been tampered with.

Daily Trust gathered that a group of women had besieged the old site of the hospital along Murtala Muhammed Way in Jos with the intention of retrieving the corpse from the mortuary for burial.

However, there was pandemonium when some members of the group alleged that the deceased woman’s eyes had been gouged out with her breasts removed.

Relatives had refused to speak with journalists but only claimed that the hospital management had later told them that the corpse had been tampered with by rats.

However, a statement issued by the Chief Medical Director of JUTH, Edmund Banwat, described the allegations as baseless stressing that, pathologists and security agents had confirmed that there was no tampering with the embalmed corpse in question.

The statement which was signed by Bridget Omini on behalf of the CMD stated that: “the attention of the Management of Jos University Teaching Hospital was drawn to an unfounded rumour alleging that a corpse deposited at the old site mortuary of the hospital was tampered with.

“This is to clarify that the rumour has no basis as the pathologists and security agencies have confirmed that there was no tampering with the corpse that was embalmed.”

The hospital urged the public to disregard the “unfortunate rumour.” Efforts by our correspondent to reach the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Tyopev Terna, were unsuccessful as his number was unreachable.