Widow hides husband’s corpse for three years

Policemen attached to Ojokoro Division in Lagos have arrested a 60-year-old woman and her two children for allegedly refusing to release the corpse of her late husband to his family members for proper burial, three years after his demise.
Rather, the decomposing body of her late husband, identified as Jimoh Shittu, was reportedly discovered at her family’s house at Ojokoro area of the state, Tuesday, by the Police.

Vanguard gathered that there had been a strained relationship between the widow, Mrs Joy Shittu, and members of her late husband’s family, before his demise.
A member of the late Shittu’s family, who spoke on condition of anonymity told Vanguard: “We were not aware that our brother was dead.
“All we were made to understand each time we called was that he was not medically fit. Since he passed on, Joy (the widow) prevented us from seeing his corpse.
“First, she made attempt to bury his body at our mother’s home town in Delta State, which is against our tradition.
“Since then, we did not know where the body was until Tuesday, when we got hint that it was kept at her family’s house at 14b, Olaitan Mustapha, off Clem Road, Ifako-Ijaiye, Ojokoro.
“When the body was retrieved by the Police, we discovered it was embalmed and that he died three years ago.”
The 60-year-old widow told policemen that her reason for attempting to bury her late husband in Warri, Delta State, was to fulfil his wish, adding that the building she intended burying him was his.
She further explained that on reaching Delta State, it was discovered that the building in question was occupied by a new owner, who claimed it was sold to him by her late husband.
Asked why she refused to hint her husband’s family about his demise, she simply attributed it to the strained relationship.
The widow and her two children, whose identities were given as Aishat and Toyin, were said to have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, yesterday, for further investigation , while the corpse had been deposited at the mortuary for autopsy.

Vanguard