The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has urged South-East governors and religious leaders to ban mortuaries in Igboland.

The group believes that keeping dead bodies in mortuaries instead of burying them immediately leads to spiritual disturbances.

MASSOB leader, Comrade Uchenna Madu, shared this in a statement on Monday, March 10, as reported by Daily Post. He claimed that spirits of unburied bodies wander restlessly and possess young people, leading them into criminal activities and immoral behavior.

According to Madu, keeping bodies in mortuaries prevents their spirits from resting. He argued that these restless spirits influence young people negatively, making them engage in crimes, violence, and the pursuit of quick wealth.

“This spiritual influence has erased their conscience and filled them with a desire for bloodshed, wealth, and other material things,” he said. He also stated that the rise in criminal activities among Igbo youths is linked to this spiritual problem.

MASSOB also called on church leaders to stop allowing caskets inside churches during funerals. The group believes that bringing a dead body into a church affects its holiness.

They emphasized that, according to Igbo tradition, it is wrong to keep a dead body for more than four market days. MASSOB urged traditional and religious leaders, along with governors, to ban mortuary services in Igboland.

“We appeal to our governors to ban mortuary businesses and services in Igbo land,” the statement concluded.

What do you think about MASSOB’s call to ban mortuaries? Share your thoughts in the comments.