Burial of Human Corpses in Homes and Residential Houses in Ebonyi State: A Case of Legislation Begging for Enforcement

Abstract

Methods of burial of human corpses vary from place to place, and is often determined by status, custom, traditional beliefs, financial status and circumstance of death. In several places in Africa, encomiums are rather poured on human corpse as though it is sacred. As a result, corpses are buried where the relatives and loved ones would often conduct prayers and sacrifices. Bereaved families and or neighbors spend fortunes not only in entertaining guests at burials, but also in procuring expensive burial items, erecting or renovating burial houses, including procuring expensive coffins. In most parts of Ebonyi State, human corpses are either buried inside residential building/rooms or within residential compounds. In fact, this practice cuts across almost all the communities in Ebonyi State. Such practices constitute brazen infraction of the Births, Deaths and Burials Law of Ebonyi State, 2004 among other instruments. The question begging for answer is why our laws despite prohibiting these practices are still silent over this practice. Studies have shown that no one has been prosecuted for violating the provisions of the law prohibiting home burial of human corpses in Ebonyi State. This paper, therefore, examines the rationale behind the poor/non-enforcement of laws prohibiting burials in homes and residential houses in Ebonyi State among others. This paper adopted mix methods of data collection, thus utilizing doctrinal methods and observation. Our research revealed that home burial aside its public health hazards and dangers to the environment, is however categorically prohibited by law in Ebonyi State. This study, therefore, recommends amongst other things, that government should provide/map out adequate lands as public burial-grounds in Ebonyi State while human corpses should be recognized and treated as hazardous waste/substances requiring proper disposal mechanism to curb the spread of diseases.