Lagos Hospitals Where Those  Still Alive Obtain Death Certificate for N10,000 

With N10,000 anyyone can obtain a death certificate even for a living person from some General Hospitals in Lagos, a detailed investigative report anchored by the The Punch has revealed.

Janet Ogundepo, a PUNCH correspondent, who visited some hospitals, reported how simple it is to obtain a death certificate with N10,000 for the living.

With the payment of N10,000, diabetic and hypertensive Esther Ojo (purportedly a living person) was declared dead. The irony was that Ojo’s body was not seen by the doctor whose signature and name was scribbled at the bottom of a death certificate obtained undercover by the correspondent.

The correspondent, whose mission it was to expose the cartel of death certificate merchants and the poor process of issuing such certificates in hospitals, identified Ojo as a relative who died last week.

On September 7, 2022, three men sat discussing at the entrance of a popular general hospital in the Surulere area of Lagos State as the correspondent approached the facility.

The man stood up, asked the reporter to wait a few minutes, walked a few meters, and returned with an average-height, dark-skinned man wearing a blue shirt.

The newcomer directed the reporter to a bench outside a roofed shed near a tree on the hospital grounds. The man, later identified only as Wale asked, “What do you want to use it for?” The question revealed Wale to be a seasoned professional.

The answer to his question prompted additional inquiries, such as where the corpse was and what caused the death.

When told that the presumed relative had died at home and that the certificate was required to transport the body to her hometown in Oyo State for burial, he became calm. 

The correspondent, feigning helplessness and sadness over the alleged loss, inquired about the process’s financial cost.

“It is N10,000,” Wale replied. If you want to pay now, I will get the information. I’ll need the individual’s full name. You are aware of the individual’s full name, correct? So the total is N10,000.” He went on to say that the document would be issued the same day.

He then asked the correspondent to accompany him to a different location, which he described as “more comfortable.”

The location was just outside the hospital, in a gated relaxation area a few meters away.

Wale sat on one of the chairs, facing the table, and asked the correspondent to sit beside him.

He asked for a piece of paper and a pen to write down the details of the “dead person,” and when told there were neither, he stood up and went to a nearby store to get both.

He returned with a piece of paper and stated that the fee was N10,000 and that the document would be ready in a few minutes.

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