Aishah Waliyullah & Fawaz Adebisi
The Ogun State Government and the Al-Maqbarah Muslim Forum have warned residents, particularly Muslim families, against the continued practice of burying corpses within residential premises, describing it as illegal, unhealthy and contrary to Islamic teachings.
The warning was issued on Saturday at a capacity-building workshop organised by the Forum at the Crescent Muslim Professionals Hall, Abeokuta.
With the theme “Sunnatic Ethics of Pre and Post Transition for the Deceased,” the workshop drew Islamic scholars, clerics, professors, traditional rulers and representatives of Muslim organisations across the state.
‘Home Burial Is Illegal Under Nigerian Law’ — Commissioner
Speaking at the event, the Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Dr Oladimeji Oresanya, said home burials—still practised by “eight out of ten Muslim families”—pose serious public health and environmental risks.
He stated that Section 246 of the Criminal Code criminalises burial of bodies within residential homes, stressing that government would intensify enforcement after sustained public enlightenment.
“This trend persists because people lack proper awareness. Before enforcing any law, government must educate the people and train those who will ensure compliance,” he said.
Oresanya added that only a state governor can approve private burials, which must involve embalming and a designated mausoleum—procedures that he noted contradict Islamic burial standards.
“Burial has emotional and spiritual implications, but that does not erase the legal reality. Every city has cemeteries, and that is where people should be buried,” he said.
Islamic Scholars Emphasise Proper Rites
In his opening remarks, the chairman of the event, Prof. Maaruf Adenekan, said ignorance of Islamic burial principles has fuelled persistent controversies.
“What many Muslims lack is sound understanding of our religion. Islam is built on knowledge,” he said, describing the practical demonstration of corpse washing and shrouding as “valuable and necessary.”
The first lecture delivered by Ustaz AbdulSemiu Hamzah focused on the Islamic understanding of death as a transition rather than an end.
“If we did not have to die, oppressors would live forever while the righteous are denied their eternal reward,” he said, urging Muslims to constantly remember “the destroyer of pleasures”—death.
The second lecturer, Abu Labiba Taofiq Busari, explained the communal obligation of washing the dead, saying Islamic funeral rites emphasise purity even after death.
“Washing the dead is a communal duty. If a few people perform it, the entire community earns the reward; but if no one does it, the whole community bears the sin,” he said.
He added that rejecting Islamic washing and shrouding “reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of the afterlife, resurrection and accountability.”
The final session led by Ustaz Idris Akeeb addressed Janazah prayer, burial procedures, settling the deceased’s debts and making a will.
“Even a martyr cannot enter paradise if they owe a debt,” he warned.
Forum Vows Crackdown On Cultural Practices
Chairman of the Al-Maqbarah Forum, Abdul Quadri Oni, said the group aims to correct widespread deviation from Sunnatic burial practices.
“In many South-West communities, people still insist on home burials because of culture, not Islam. But Islam prescribes burial in a proper Islamic cemetery, not inside homes,” he said.
Oni explained that participants were selected based on their roles in mosques and Islamic bodies and are expected to train at least three others to spread the knowledge.
He also advised Muslims to prepare written wills specifying how their burial should be handled.
Royal Fathers, Scholars Commend Initiative
A member of the Forum’s Board of Trustees, Dr Rabiu Kushimo, commended the organisers for addressing what he described as a sensitive but urgent issue.
Notable guests at the event included the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola; the Grand Mufti of Owu Kingdom, Imam Idris Hakeem; Prof Idris Ayinde; and Dr Khidir Mustapha, among others.
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