It was a case of double ‘wahala’ for dead body (apologies to Fela Anikulapo Kuti) as no fewer than 12 corpses at the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, were in the early hours of Tuesday gutted by a midnight fire.

The incident which could have wreaked havoc at the department was mitigated by the combined efforts of the security and fire services unit of the institution.

Mr Abiodun Olarewaju, the Public Relations Officer of the University made the disclosure in a statement on Tuesday in Ile-Ife.

Olarewaju said that the fire, which broke out around 3:00 am, was allegedly caused by electricity surge which affected a section of the morgue where corpses are kept.

According to it, out of the 102 bodies that are kept in the morgue, 12 were affected by the fire outbreak.

“The department has made detailed arrangements to duly and adequately inform those who have kept bodies (corpses) in the morgue,” it stated.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede led other principal officers to the scene of the incident to assess the level of damage and instructed immediate repairs to the affected areas.

The vice chancellor had also constituted a three-member committee to look into the immediate and remote causes of the fire outbreak.

Normalcy of academic and administrative activities have since returned to the area.