Wetin Nigeria law tok about burying dead pipo for residential areas

Ogbonge debate start for Nigeria social media about how and wia dem suppose bury deadi pipo for di kontri and who suppose decide wia to bury pesin.

Dis argument na sake of one celebrity wey die recently and di gbas-gbos betwin members of im family about how to bury am.

Death and burial mata for Africa na usually very serious issue and most times, e dey guided by cultural, traditional and religious considerations.

Howeva, Nigeria also get civic laws wey tok about how to bury pesin wey die in order to prevent any health hazard wey fit arise from improper burial.

So dis article analyse wetin di law tok about how to bury pesin wey die, and also some of di traditional and religious burial practices for Nigeria.

Wetin Nigeria law tok?

Section 246 of di Criminal Code Act tok say na offence to bury pesin inside residential house.

Hia na wetin dat part of di law tok: "Any pesin wey witout di consent of di President or di Governor, bury or attempt to bury any corpse for any house, building premises, yard, garden, compound, or within one hundred yards of any dwelling‐house, or for any open space situated within a township, dey guilty of misdemeanor and e dey liable to imprisonment for six months."

Dis section of di criminal code act dey for di part wey dem describe as "offences against public health", and also included for dat part na offences like selling unfit food, adulterated drinks or drugs, selling diseased meat, and even fouling public water source.

Stanley Chukwu, wey be legal practitioner and researcher write about dis say many of di local pipo wey dey indulge for dis kain practice fit no know di health and legal implications of such acts, "but ignorance of di law no be excuse".

Dis part of Nigeria law make am clear wia pipo fit bury dia deadi bodi and how dem fit go about am.

Traditional/Religious practices

Different ethnic nationalities for Africa also get different cultures and traditions about how to bury pipo, even though in recent times, religious considerations dey also influence di practice.

For di Yoruba, di tradition expect make dem bury pesin for dia compound so dat e go dey closer to im pipo - so dem go fit dey see and rememba di dead.

"Burying di dead at home for Yorubaland na part of our culture and tradition. Our late fathers and mothers, bifor dem die, dem fit give directive wia dem go dey buried. Dem wan remain part and parcel of di family," one yoruba Chief for Ado-Ekiti, Odofin Are Ikere, tell local tori pipo in 2012.

Dat time, di Ekiti State Govment bin wan introduce law wey go make am mandatory to bury dead pipo for cemetry and not for homes wia pipo dey live.

Di traditional chief argue say wen dem bury dia loved ones at home, any member of di family fit get easy access to dem tru sacrifices wey dem no fit perform for public cemetery.

"Our belief be say once you no offer sacrifices to di dead, your prayers no go dey answered," e tok.

For di Igbo tradition, for di southeast region of Nigeria, dem believe say dem gatz bury pesin for im own compound so dat e go rest in peace.

"Even if na young man wey neva build house, dem go bury am for im papa compund, or if e don get im own land inheritance, dem go bury am for dat land," one Igbo elder, Obi Theophilus explain to BBC News Pidgin tori pesin.

"Dat na why even if di pesin die outside Nigeria, di family fit spend plenty moni to bring im body back and bury am for im compound."

Howeva, for Northern Nigeria, wia di culture dey heavily influenced by Islamic religion, di normal practice na to bury pipo for cemetery, "unless na area wia public cemetery no dey available or easily accessible", Mohammed Awwal tok.

Who dey decide wia to bury pesin?

Again, wia to bury pesin wey die dey depend on different factors such as di age of di deceased, di family, and circumstances surrounding di death.

Most pipo wey don old wella fit give instructions to dia family on how and wia to bury dem wen dem die.

For younger pipo, howeva, na usually dia immediate family - dia parents and siblings - dey decide.

For some tradition, di parents of a young pesin wey die no even dey allowed to see im deadibody or chook mouth for im burial plan.

In dat case, na di elders of di family go decide for which part of di family compound to bury am.

Theophilus Obi, di Igbo elder wey follow BBC News Pidgin tok, howeva, explain say during di discussion, even if di deceased na married pesin, im wife no dey too get say about di location to bury am - especially for di Igbo practice.

"Tins don dey change now, but you know say traditionally, di wife dey regarded as a stranger wey come into di family, especially wen di marriage neva last long, so her opinion no too dey important wen e reach about wia to bury a son of di family," e tok.

Anoda pesin wey we follow tok wey go like dey identified as Tunde, wey be young man for im early 30s, say di wife of a man and im children na dem be im immediate family, so in di case of death, dia opinion suppose matter most.

Howeva, Tunde argue say im even prefer to bury a loved one for cemetry, "wia you fit go and visit, and even let di coming generation know say na dat place be dia final resting place, but wetin dey most important na to cherish dia memory and try to uphold dia legacy".