The Senate has commenced moves to probe the sudden appearance of corpses floating in the Ezu River, Anambra State.
It has mandated its committees on Police Affairs and Security and Intelligence to investigate the circumstances that led to the death of the over 30 corpses found floating in the river in January 2013.
The decision was taken on Thursday after debate on the motion, sponsored by Senator Andy Uba from Anambra State.
Uba said between January 19 and 24, 2013, some villagers of Amansea community of Anambra State found 34 bodies, mostly males, floating in the river.
He said between the time of the discovery and the debate on Thursday, there had been no explanation about the origin of the corpses.
He also expressed worry that the Ezu River, which was the only source of water for domestic and other uses for the people of five communities of the state, had been contaminated.
He said the autopsy ordered by the Anambra and Enugu State Governments had yielded no result.
Uba said his suspicion is that the corpses could be those of people killed extra-judicially.
Senator Ifeanyi Okowa from Delta State blamed the development on the poor security.
Okowa said: “If our security system is working well, we would have been able to know exactly what this is all about.
“For the bodies to have started decomposing, it means they must have stayed in water for at least seven days.”
The Deputy Senate Leader, Abdul Ningi, described the situation as a tragedy of monumental proportion, adding: “If this happens in another country, that country would be at a standstill.
“But here in Nigeria, people seem so unconcerned.
“Are we saying we are too many in this country and then decide to systematically kill some people to reduce our number?”
The President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, said it was worrisome for 30 dead bodies to be found in one community and yet there has been no report of a missing person.
Mark said: “If the police is inefficient, how about the families or the communities?
“The problem is that where did these bodies come from?’’
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