The Oyo State Government has issued a strict seven-day ultimatum to families and next of kin to identify and claim bodies deposited in state-owned mortuaries, or face seeing them buried in a mass grave.

The directive, aimed at decongesting overflowing public health facilities, was announced on Monday in a statement by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi.

According to the Commissioner, a massive influx of unclaimed bodies has pushed public mortuaries to their maximum storage capacities. Many of these corpses were brought in by law enforcement and emergency response agencies over an extended period.

"The corpses were brought to the facilities by the Nigeria Police Force, the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Nigerian Correctional Service, and other relevant agencies," Ajetunmobi stated. "Over time, the bodies have remained unclaimed, resulting in severe congestion."

With public health standards at risk, the government is urging citizens with missing relatives to immediately visit public hospital mortuaries across the state for verification.

Final arrangements for the mass burial are already underway. The exercise will commence exactly one week from the date of the official announcement. Ajetunmobi emphasized that the window is a final opportunity for families to give their loved ones a proper, individual burial while ensuring state healthcare facilities can return to efficient operations.