There was confusion on Monday at the Plateau Specialist Hospital, Jos, mortuary when a dead man, Choji Zeng, grabbed the hand of his brother, Gyang Zeng, who was dressing him up for burial.
Other family members, who had participated in the washing of the corpse, ran out in panic when they saw the dead Choji holding tight to Gyang’s hand.
It took the interference of mortuary attendants before the brothers could be separated.
The two brothers had lived together at Ungwan Juma’a Abattoir in Jos metropolis until Choji, 35, died after a brief illness.
Gyang, who confirmed the incident to reporters, said after bathing his brother, he was dressing him with white cloth, when the corpse grabbed his hands.
He said it was a mortuary attendant that forced the dead hands off him. Relations and neighbours, who witnessed the incident, also confirmed it.
Gyang revealed that when the deceased held his hands, he asked him: “Choji, why did you hold my hand, you want me to join you or what?”
One of the mortuary attendants said that it was not the first time such a thing will happen in the mortuary.
According to sources in the neighourhood, the two brothers had had a misundrstanding over an inherited landed property before Choji’s death.
Reports however suggest that no foul play is being suspected within the family over the tragic inident.
