Nigeria’s Consul-General in Johannesburg, Ambassador Uche Ajulu-Okeke, has warned Nigerians back home to be cautious while handling bodies of their loved ones brought in from South Africa.

This she says is because a very high percentage of them are infected with HIV and tuberculosis.

Speaking to a body of Nigerian professionals at the consulate, she said that her worries stemmed from the fact that the Nigerian cultural funeral rites allow for contact with bodies that may be contaminated.

The Secretary-General of the Nigerian Medical Forum in South Africa, Dr. Emeka Ugwu, said: “I am in the know that in South Africa one of the leading causes of death is tuberculosis and HIV/AIDs.

“So it will not be far-fetched to deduce from this that some Nigerians who are dying here may also have that statistics.

“Care needs to be taken from the health perspective, any dead body or any of such things could have serious health implication on the community and it could be transferred from one person to the other.

“If a dead body moves from here to Nigeria, it needs to be properly handled according to stipulated World Health Organisation objectives.”

The Consul-General, Ambassador Uche Ajulu-Okeke, was, however, of the opinion that Nigerians who die in South Africa should be buried there. (Channels TV)

•Photo shows Ambassador Uche Ajulu-Okeke.