By Chioma Okezie-Okeh
Have you ever wondered why Lagos cemeteries are never filled up? Then you need to read this! Saturday Sun findings revealed that most of the graves in public cemeteries have been used as burial ground for many dead bodies after the remains of the dead persons earlier buried in such graves had been exhumed and disposed off. The whereabouts of such remains have remained a mystery.
During its fact-finding mission, Atan Cemetery, Yaba Cemetery and Trinity Cemetery, Ajegunle, all in Lagos, were visited.
It was on a Thursday and Atan Cemetery seemed like a market place with people trooping in and out of the large fenced compound believed to be about 25 hectares of land.
Apart from mourners, it seemed that up to 40 per cent of the crowd there were grave diggers, bricklayers, professional mourners, petty traders, government officials and most importantly, those known as ‘hustlers.’ These ‘hustlers’ are touts whose area of specialty is to accost any new face to offer their services.
Segun, as he introduced himself was the first to confront the Saturday Sun reporter with several offers. “I dey dig better ground, make you buy granite from me. no worry, I go also show you better place to use. (I am a digger and I also sell original granite. I will show you where to get a good spot to bury the dead),” he said out loud while others were beckoning to the reporter to choose them.
Insisting that he was the best, Segun explained that there were reserved spots under his control that he could give out at affordable prices. Pointing at one by the walkway, he offered to sell it for two million naira.
“This area is in hot demand,” he said. The conversation took another dimension when he was told that the family of the bereaved were not interested in retaining the space. “I hope the person has a death certificate because no one will allow you to kill someone and come and bury them here. We have temporary area here; you have to settle me so that I can help you do it. Just raise about N100,000 and buy your casket. I will handle the rest.”
When asked if it was a fresh grave, Segun looked at the reporter incredulously. “Fresh grave? There is no fresh grave here again. Those ones that do not belong to people are resold to new persons. We will dig out the skeleton and bury another person there. Even if you like, pay N400,000 and get a permanent site, if you abandon it, rain will wash away the structure and it will be resold. Don’t worry about the skeleton, I will make sure that the grave is clean before you bury. The only thing is that I don’t give receipt but you have a guarantee that I will show you a good site.”
He later referred the reporter to an office where the financial implication was explained by a male staff (name withheld) of Yaba Local Government posted to the cemetery. He explained that there are so many options including that of temporary burial site, even as he took a tour of the cemetery with the reporter.
He explained further: “The real price is N400,000 which covers cost of digging and the cement and tiles that will be used to cover the grave. This is far inside the bush, the one that you are seeing here are N1.5millon, N3 million, depending on the location and your bargaining power. The family will go to the local government and obtain a C of O (Certificate of Occupancy).
“The truth is that I cannot guarantee that the grave will not be tampered with if you choose the regular price. So many people will just bury and go. They will never visit again after the memorial service, so it is left for us to use our discretion to know the ones that can be resold. There is a chemical that we normally use to dissolves bones that it will turn into sand or they will be burnt.
“There are also temporary sites that are used for mass burial. The operators of morgues, especially the ones that belong to the government, they normally get court orders and clearance from the local government before they are granted access. Every year, we bury so many of them in that temporary site,” he said pointing at the thick bush within the premises.
On why the place was so bushy and unkempt, he said. “We only clear the grasses if the owner indicates interest. The reason is that some of the family members who are fetish might accuse us of tampering with the corpse of their departed relatives or accuse you to be a ritualist. This is why this cemetery is well guarded because some ritualists might want to come here at night.
“The only area well maintained is the portion maintained by the Commonwealth Office for the burial of Nigerian soldiers who died during World War II. Tourists come here to read the names on the tomb and snap pictures.
“We had an incident so many years ago where a grave that was used was opened and tampered with two days after. I was told that the luck they had then was that the owners did not hear about it so they quickly sealed it back and increased the security in this place. I assure you that if you go through the right source, the security of your dead relative would be guaranteed.”
Fertile soil
Looking haggard and begging everyone passing through the entrance gate for alms, an elderly man who claimed to have been hanging around Atan cemetery for more than 30 years told the reporter that the best place to sleep peacefully at night was the grave yard. “My mother and father were buried here so I am not afraid of anything. They left me at a very young age, so I was always coming to visit and pray for them. Life is not fair to me; that is why I look like this but the truth is that I am very healthy and happy. I only beg for money to feed myself because my wife left me for another man with our children. They don’t care about me and I don’t care about them. I am praying that one day, I will also be buried here,” the man whom others identified as Baba said in Pidgin English pointing at the grave yard.
He claimed that he could not even identify the point where his late parents were buried. He said: “It is inside. You see that area that looks like a thick forest with very fresh-looking leaves? They bury people anyhow there, so they decay and serve as fertilizer. The bones are scattered in that area that if I have plans to sell them, I would have done so but I respect the dead. I used to plant vegetables, corn and yam in those days before they stopped me. I would have a bountiful harvest within four months. I normally sell the products at Boundary Market at Oyingbo. And because my vegetables were very fresh, I was always amongst the first to sell. The local government stopped me because some people were stealing body parts here.
“If you come here at night especially from 11pm, you will be hearing voices and people moving about. I am not scared because I am not the one that killed them, so they will just pass me and I will greet them.
“Especially those who died in an accident, they find it difficult to rest in peace because of the way they died. This mass burial is dangerous because their families cannot locate them. So they wonder at night and as early as four in the morning, you will see them leaving the gate to town. My sister, there are many dead people moving around in Lagos.”
Only corpses of the rich are respected here
Also, a visit to the Trinity Cemetery in Ajegunle area revealed a similar story. Majority of the graves found were surrounded by overgrown weed with several broken tombs. The cemetery is divided into two – one for Muslims and the other for Christians.
Both have the permanent and temporary sites. The permanent site goes for between N300, 000 and N5 million, depending on its location. A staff of Ajeromi Ifelodun area assigned to the cemetery, who pleaded that his name should not be mentioned, told the reporter that most of the graves have been reused severally.
His words: “Whoever that told you that there is no difference between the rich and the poor when they die is lying to you? Public cemetery is not for the rich. We have private vaults all over the place where a rich man’s body can be preserved for as long as the family wants. This is why government is not generating enough money from the cemeteries. The rich in the country pay as much as N10milion to secure private vaults. It is only in public burial ground that graves are recycled, especially that of the poor. I refer to them as poor because they can barely afford the temporary ones. Even in this cemetery, there are areas where we have people that pay as much as N3 million for a grave. These have three slots where the family can use three times. It can be reserved for a man and two of his wives. Anyone who dies first will be buried and when the next is dead, we will open it and bury in the same tomb till its fill up.
“The truth is that the standard amount given by the local government, so many people cannot afford it. They will come here with their death certificate and beg you to help them bury their family member. We will simply show them the general area. That side the grave diggers will be paid N5000 while the family will pay N20,000 to us. They will be warned not to come back again because there will be no mark to show that someone was buried there. The grave is always shallow and after some months when it’s confirmed that what is left is only dry bones, it can be recycled. Sometime the local government will grant permission for mass burial of those abandoned in morgues in the local government. They have to decongest the morgues after sometime and it’s normally at the public cemetery that such will be paid.”
On what becomes of the dried-up bone, Adekunle said it’s mostly cremated. “We gather as much as we can and burn them till they turn into ashes. It is necessary because if you leave it, the local people might be tempted to sell them to ritualists or herbal doctors, especially the ones that are still decaying.
“It was very common in the past and those who were caught were beaten up and handed over to the police. I don’t know what they are doing with it. If you look very well, you will notice bones buried on the ground where you are walking.
“This place is so bushy because government is not making much money from cemeteries these days because of private owned cemeteries which are normally close to the public ones. Most of the cases that we have here are from poor people and those with government approval for their loved ones to be buried.”
As at press time, all attempts to get an official statement from Yaba Local Council Development Area were unsuccessful, as the LCDA Chairman, Kayode Omiyale was not available to speak to Saturday Sun.
According to the council’s information officer simply identified as Kehinde, the chairman was on an official duty and is the only person permitted to comment on the questions presented.
He said: “Atan cemetery is one of the places that Yaba Local Council Development Area generates revenue from. The LCDA chairman, Kayode Omiyale is the right person to comment on such a sensitive issue. He is not on seat and is currently attending to a political event. He is aware of your visit and I will help to schedule a meeting with him as soon as possible.”