Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The global human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has issued an urgent and scathing demand for a comprehensive investigation into the mass movement of hundreds of unidentified corpses from mortuaries across Imo State, describing the secretive nocturnal transfers as "horrifying" and demanding that the Nigerian authorities provide a full accounting of the deceased. In a statement released on Saturday, August 22, 2026, the rights group said it was "deeply concerned" by reports that hundreds of unidentified bodies were being removed from mortuaries, including the Ngor Okpala General Hospital, with additional bodies reportedly spotted at the Mbieri General Hospital. The organisation revealed that it had obtained disturbing footage documenting the transfer of corpses, many of them reduced to skeletal remains, being moved under the cover of night.
Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, in a direct and unflinching address to the authorities, called on the Imo State Government and relevant bodies to immediately account for all the bodies and ensure that their identities and causes of death are established. The group is demanding a full public accounting: how many bodies are involved, who they were, how they died, when and how they arrived at the mortuaries, and where they are being moved to now. Sanusi stressed that the authorities have an obligation to trace and identify every body, determine causes of death, and disclose the full timeline of how the remains came to be stored and relocated. He further called for an independent investigation into allegations that some of the deceased may have been victims of unlawful killings during security operations in the state.
The development has raised profound concerns over the identities and causes of death of the deceased, particularly amid allegations that some of the bodies could be linked to unlawful killings during security operations in Imo State. Amnesty International is also demanding that all related records, medical files and physical evidence be preserved so that no investigation can later be compromised. The group warned against any action that could compromise evidence needed to establish the identities and circumstances surrounding the deaths, stating emphatically that "no body or evidence should be concealed, destroyed, disposed of or otherwise interfered with".
Amnesty International further urged the authorities to ensure that all the bodies are properly identified and subjected to appropriate forensic examinations, including autopsies where necessary. It also called for families of the deceased to be promptly informed and provided with information concerning their relatives, stressing that grieving families deserve the truth about what happened to their loved ones. Sanusi closed by emphasising that the families of those who died or disappeared have a right to know what happened to their loved ones, and that the government must move swiftly to uncover the facts, protect the evidence, and deliver accountability.
The organisation's call comes amid heightened concerns over unresolved cases involving deaths and disappearances in parts of Imo State. Amnesty's latest concerns come against the backdrop of its longstanding documentation of killings, enforced disappearances and other alleged human rights violations in South-East Nigeria. In a 2025 report, the organisation documented serious abuses by both state and non-state actors in the region, including unlawful killings and enforced disappearances in Imo State. The group has also previously documented at least 1,844 deaths between 2021 and mid-2023 across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states. The group stressed that no remains or evidence tied to the case should be hidden, destroyed or tampered with in any way, and that anyone found responsible for unlawful killings or other rights abuses should face investigation and, where evidence supports it, prosecution through fair legal proceedings.
The reported movement of the bodies requires urgent attention from the authorities, particularly to prevent the destruction, concealment or loss of evidence that could be critical to any investigation. As the Imo State Government faces mounting pressure to respond, the fundamental question remains: who are these hundreds of unidentified dead, how did they die, and why are their remains being moved in secret under the cover of darkness? The families of the deceased, many of whom may have been searching for their missing loved ones for years, deserve answers. The people of Imo State and the nation at large are watching, waiting for the government to act with the transparency and urgency that this macabre discovery demands.
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