Drama As Community Vows To Start Burial Of Ex-Senate President Without His Corps

The Bassang Nation in the Obanliku Local Government Area of Cross River State has issued a stern warning, threatening to initiate the traditional burial rites for former Senate President, Dr. Joseph Wayas, regardless of the presence of his remains.

In a communique signed by President Sylvanus Anyawho and Secretary Isaac Henyete, the community expressed frustration over the prolonged delay in repatriating Wayas’ corpse from a London morgue, where it has been held for over two years since his passing.

“We’ve waited for two years for late Wayas’ remains to be brought to us for burial. After several fruitless meetings both at home and in Abuja, we’re left with no other option than to commence the traditional rites,” they stated.

Highlighting the expiration of a two-week ultimatum issued to the authorities, the Bassang Nation declared their intent to convene again in the second week of April 2024 to determine a date for the final burial rites, whether or not the corpse is present.

Addressing the responsibility for repatriation, they called upon the deceased’s first son, Joe Wayas Jr., to facilitate the return of his father’s remains for burial in his ancestral homeland. Emphasizing the significance of ancestral burial customs, they insisted on laying Wayas to rest in his hometown, deeming it sacrilegious to do otherwise.

“To us, it is sacrilegious to bury our dead outside our ancestral home else dire consequences await anybody or group of persons who will contemplate in their wildest imagination to do so. We, therefore, demand for his remains to be brought home and laid to rest in his hometown in line with our custom and tradition,” they affirmed.