Nigeria hospital overwhelmed with corpses

ENUGU, Nigeria, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Doctors at a Nigerian hospital say they are being overwhelmed with corpses of young men brought in by police, the BBC reported Tuesday.

The chief medical director of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in Enugu, Dr. Anthony Mbah, told the British broadcaster his staff were forced to carry out a mass burial of between 70 and 80 bodies in recent weeks, adding that another mass burial has been scheduled.

The BBC said its visit to the morgue revealed piles of corpses of young men, stacked four or five deep in some places, scattered on tables and floors. It said records indicated 75 corpses were delivered to the morgue by police between June and Nov. 26.

The British broadcaster reported that seven of the corpses it saw were of men who were last seen in police custody in September, accused of kidnapping.

Enugu State Police Commissioner Mohamed Zarewa told the broadcaster he didn't know about the number of corpses in the morgue. But he said his officers must fight armed robbers, adding that many police officers are also killed.