Some young men who reportedly sleep inside open graves in the Hawkins Cemetery in Calabar were chased by snakes.
The incident happened on Monday evening, in the cemetery which has gradually become a thick forest in the town.
Esan Ikpe, a coffin carpenter, with a shop on Calabar Road near Watt Market, said he’s used to visiting the cemetery because of he has got many clients in the cemetery, revealed that the young men who resides in the place killed a black snake in the place.
Ikpe said the snakes entered their midst as they were sitting on top of the broken tombstones, smoking weeds and drinking liquor.
“They immediately jumped and wanted to run but turned about to chase the reptile and killed it.
“This is not the first time snakes have chased these cemetery dwellers and are killed.
“Early this year, there were reports that assorted snakes were seen in the cemetery.”
Ikpe explained that it should be expected that such reptiles would be multiplied in such unkempt and bushy environments.
One person whose colleague was buried in the cemetery last week, Mr. Donald Ekpenyong, expressed dissatisfaction over the very poor condition of the cemetery and other cemeteries in the state where they have been told to be occupied by wild weeds.
“Digging up older graves are rampant because there are no more spaces for new corpses. As a result, human bones and other remains do attract rats and other reptiles”, he said.