DAILY TRUST
Cemeteries in most states in the North suffer poor maintenance which often expose them to challenges of flooding, among others. This piece examines the state of major cemeteries in some northern states in the country and issues around them.
Kano graveyards overtaken by flood
Residents of Kaura Goje in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State said that the heavy rains this rainy season have continued to cause flooding which they say exhume remains of corpses buried in their cemetery.
Our correspondent gathered that apart from the Kaura Goje cemetery, some other cemeteries in the ancient city of Kano like Dantsinke and Getsi were equally affected.
The residents said incidents of flood washing up dead bodies were not new in the town.
Some residents of Kaura Goje claimed that human skeletons, as well as fresh corpses, had been washed out of their graves by the flood and erosion in the area.
Malam Nasiru Abdullahi is the chairman of the community’s committee of Kaura Goje cemeteries. He said, “In Kaura Goje, we have three cemeteries which comprises Kaura Goje, Filin Alkama and that of Layin Kwalabe. Whenever there is heavy rainfall, dead bodies would be washed out and seen floating in the burial ground. In Filin Alkama, about four new corpses have disappeared.”
According to the state’s Graveyard Standing Committee, hundreds of graves in urban and rural cemeteries within the state are in deplorable condition and need urgent attention.
The committee’s Public Relation Officer, Yusuf Tukur, said the heavy rain ripped open cemeteries at Dan Hassan in Kura local council; Rimin Kebbe, Fako and others in Gwale.
Tukur said, “At Dan Hassan, in Kura Local Government Area, the graveyard is in a deplorable condition; it has been flooded with water and the graves are collapsing on a daily basis.
“Already, many graves, where we visited and assessed, have collapsed. At the same time, we visited another graveyard in Nassarawa Local Government Area where the people turned the graveyard into a dump for refuse, as well as a grazing field for cows and donkeys.
“Insecurity in our graveyards is very disturbing, as people with criminal intents have converted graveyards to hiding places since they are aware that nobody will dare chase them to the graveyards.”
He said they have written a memo to the state government on the issue, urging the government to do the needful before things get out of hand.
“On the insecurity issue, we’ve called on the government to employ more security guards and put them on government payroll with permanent and pensionable status, not as casual staff,” he added.
He also called on philanthropists in the state to come in by providing sand that can be used as embankment for the affected grave yards.
“We are appealing to philanthropists to provide these cemeteries with sand which can be used in filling up the graves. We also call on good Samaritans in the state to come out to do the work,” he appealed.
Yobe cemeteries suffer poor maintenance
Cemeteries in Potiskum and Damaturu local government areas of Yobe State suffer from poor maintenance and handling which often expose them to challenges of flooding.
Daily Trust Saturday observed that some of these cemeteries are being threatened by flooding and erosion.
The state of the graveyard in Potiskum town behind the General Hospital is in a state of disrepair and needs sand to rehabilitate it as the flood has completely taken over the yard. However, several announcements were made in the mosques for people to come out for community service in response to the call.
Although it took them over two weeks to work there, the calls for providing sticks and sand have been intensified by relevant stakeholders.
“Government and wealthy individuals should help us with sand so that we can work on the graveyard so that it will not be submerged like other graveyards,” says Adamu Yawale, one of the security guards at the cemetery behind the general hospital in Potiskum LGA.
Our correspondent gathered that the security guards in most of the cemeteries in Yobe State are not on government’s payroll. They are paid from gifts from wealthy individuals, which is why they are urging government to employ them.
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