Rumours of Plan to exhume body of late LGA Boss: Rivers Govt. places Security on alert at Port Harcourt Cemetery

… Government warns families, friends and relations who may want to desecrate the grave of the deceased that the full weight of the law will be visited on them.

By Ibrahim Bakare

The Rivers State Government has reacted to an online report, not www.towncrier.ng, that the body of the late Chairman of Asari-Toru Local Government Area, Odiari Princewill has been exhumed from the Port Harcourt Cemetery baseless and untrue.

In a Government statement signed by
Paulinus Nsirim Commissioner for Information and Communications said
the grave where the deceased was interred is still intact as no one has tampered with it.

Late Odiari Princewill, buried immediately after demise at Port Harcourt Cemetery

However “Government hereby warns families, friends and relations who may want to desecrate the grave of the deceased that the full weight of the law will be visited on them.

“Security agencies have, therefore, been placed on red alert to ensure that only authorized persons come near the cemetery.

“Any unauthorized person found around the cemetery will be arrested and prosecuted”.

Our Correspondent made several enquiries including contacts at the Port Harcourt Cemetery although we were not allowed into the Cemetery by they security men denied the report as untrue.

Sources close to the family of late Chairman of Asari-Toru Local Government Area, Odiari Princewill ,in Buguma who do not want their names in print said although some members of the family are too happy because “as a Prince he was supposed to be buried at Abbi-ama Cemetery in Buguma specially reserved for Kings, Queens,Princes and Princess from the royal family and no other place.”

However family sources denied knowledge of the report that remains of the Late Local Government boss was exhumed by armed men.

On whether the State has deployed more Soldiers to Buguma, they responded that “before the demise of Odiari Princewill Soldiers have always been in Buguma, it’s not clear if they had been issued with further directives. Burials had been banned across the state because of Covid-19”

Odiari Princewill had died on Thursday 21 May and was buried immediately at the Port Harcourt Cemetery.

Below is the report that racked up the controversy titled:

Late Asari-toru LGA Chairman, Rivers State:

Armed men storm Port Harcourt cemetery, exhume corpse of the late Chairman.

The remains of the late Executive Chairman of Asari-Toru Local government area of Rivers State, Odiari Princewill who died of recent, have been exhumed.

Late Princewill’s body was exhumed by gunmen suspected to be native of Buguma, his hometown.

Eyewitnesses say that some gunmen stormed Port Harcourt cemetery, shot sporadically in the air, headed for the site where the late LGA Chairman was buried and dug-out the coffin.

It was gathered that they escaped with the coffin through the Bille waterside jetty in Port Harcourt.

An eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, told DAILY POST that the gunmen were heard grumbling about the lackadaisical burial of Odiari Princewill.

“I think they are system men. The way they came to the cemetery everyone just slowly walked away. Sometimes, we use to have people come like that especially when the person that died belong to a group.

“But this one is different. They just came and went straight to the burial ground and started digging out the sand. They were like 10 of them. They said they want to give the Chairman a proper burial in his hometown,” he said.

When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer in Rivers state, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, promised to confirm the incident.

However, reports from Buguma says crisis is looming as Rivers State government sent troops to prevent entrance of the exhumed body of late LGA Chairman into Asari-Toru Local Government Area.