Families are reportedly trooping to Abari Cemetery in Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area where an old tree fell on multiple graves.
The families want to ensure that no grave containing the remains of their departed was affected.
The tree fell following a rainstorm and damaged at least 50 graves, breaking into some of the vaults, an unnamed worker said. Another reportedly claimed that 100 graves were affected.
“This tree has been here for long,” a cemetery worker was qouted by Punch to have said Wednesday.
“We can’t even say the exact number of years because the elderly guards that we met here said it was there when they were young, so that showed that it had been here for more than 100 years.
“A branch of a tree had fallen before and destroyed some graves, so we got someone to cut the tree into pieces.
“But last week Wednesday, we had closed and were at home when one of the labourers that used to come to the cemetery to work called me that the big tree in the cemetery had fallen.
“When we got here the next day, Thursday, we saw that the tree had covered some graves. It was the storm that uprooted the tree.
“We cannot be certain about the number of graves that were affected till the tree is cleared because there are a lot of graves under the tree.
“The chairman of the council, Alade Folawiyo, came here yesterday (Tuesday) with some management staff and the council engineer to inspect the cemetery.
“Since yesterday, families have been trooping in to check if their graves are affected and we are also taking records of people trooping in, but they can’t repair them now because the tree has not been removed.”
The local authority urged families to get in touch with the council to ascertain the state of any grave of concern.
