ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has called on the people of the South-East to bury their dead ones within three days as it was done in the olden days.
IPOB said that keeping the corpses for too long, as it is currently practiced is contributing to the major problems of Ndigbo.
The group made this known in a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, on Wednesday.
Powerful said present habit of keeping dead bodies more than three days, months and years in the mortuary has had dire effects on Igbo land.
He added that it has contributed to the moral decadence and all manner of evil that have taken root.
According to the group, the only corpses that should be allowed to stay in the mortuary for more than the stipulated period are those under investigation or with court-related matters.
The statement read, “Our ancestors were burying their dead ones within three days and that is our culture and it helped our ancestors spiritually. Igbos have a very rich and spiritually-based culture which our ancestors maintained from the beginning of time.
“The present habit of keeping dead bodies more than three days and even months and years in the mortuary have had dire effects on our land and contributed to the spiritual weakness of Igbo Nation and of the entire Biafraland, moral decadence and all manner of evil that have taken root in our land.
“Now that IPOB has come to realise that this alien practice of keeping the dead on land rather than committing it to mother earth has had a very negative impact on our people and upon our land. It has therefore become very imperative to urge our people to revert to the old practices that have very positive effects upon our well-being both spiritually and otherwise.
“After some thorough investigation, we have come to the realisation that all the reasons given by our people which caused the unnecessary delay in burying our dead within a short period are neither cogent nor important enough. These reasons are all man-made mostly monetary conditions from the bereaved families, traditional rites, churches and Umunna.
“Our people have turned burial as a carnival and asking families to pay levies or debt for their dead ones. This is an abomination and must be stopped forthwith.
“As it was in past, bereaved families should be allowed to commit their dead ones to mother earth while a date for the burial ceremony is fixed for a later date as well as whatever levies that need to be collected.
“But using reasons of non-payment of burial levies to stockpile corpses in the mortuaries is what IPOB don’t want again in our territory. Our people should revert to our old healthy tradition of burying the dead and do the needful at specific times within their reach.
“IPOB will engage church leaders, town unions and traditional rulers and Umunna on this regard. We are advising them to prepare their minds on this clarion call because IPOB will develop a strategy of curtailing the excessive use of mortuary in our region.
“This strategy may include compelling the shut down of so many mortuaries littered all over our land. The only dead bodies that can be allowed to stay longer in the mortuary are those in court or under police investigation.
“Igbos are shrinking in life because we dishonour the dead by keeping dead bodies in mortuaries for too long than necessary in these mortuaries. Any nation, tribe or family that keeps the dead without putting the corpse into the dust is causing a disservice to themselves.
“Owners of mortuaries in our land must start planning for another business. We are not against those engaged in the mortuary business but we are against keeping dead ones longer than necessary because we are planning to march and we cannot keep dead bodies unburied before we match.
“IPOB is encouraging our people on the need to accord respect to our departed beloved ones by burying them immediately. In the olden days our ancestors embalmed the dead in the house and bury within three days.