An unidentified dead body has reportedly remained lying on a street near the Freetown City Council building in central Freetown for several days, prompting concern and criticism from youth activist Trevor Young, who has called on authorities to take immediate action.

Young first raised the issue publicly earlier in the day through a social media post, stating that the body was lying just one block away from the city council building in the heart of the capital.

According to Young, he initially expected the situation to be handled quickly by the time he returned to the location later in the day. However, he said the scene had not changed.

“Earlier today, I posted about a dead body lying in the street just one block away from the Freetown City Council (FCC) building here in Freetown,” Young wrote. “I truly hoped that by the time I returned, the situation would have been handled with the urgency and dignity it deserves.”

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He continued, “Sadly, that is not the case. I came back to the same location expecting that the body would have been removed. Instead, I found the body still lying there, exactly where it was earlier.”

Young said that after his initial post, several people contacted him to clarify which institution is responsible for removing bodies found in such circumstances.

“After my first post, several people reached out to clarify that the responsibility for removing bodies like this does not fall on the Freetown City Council, but rather on the Ministry of Health,” he stated.

He further added that, based on the information he received, the Ministry of Health currently holds the mandate to remove bodies found in public spaces. “From what I have been told, the Ministry of Health now holds full responsibility for removing bodies in situations like this,” Young said.

However, he questioned why the body had remained at the location for several days without being removed. “If that is the case, then the question must be asked: Why is the body still here after all these days?” he wrote.

Young described the situation as a matter of human dignity and public health, expressing concern about the continued presence of the body in a busy part of the city.

“This is about basic human dignity, public health, and respect for the dead,” he said. “A human being is lying in the street in the middle of the city, in full public view, and days later nothing has been done.”

He also said the situation was disturbing for members of the public who pass through the area daily. “It is deeply troubling and heartbreaking to return and see that the situation remains unchanged,” he wrote. “No family deserves for their loved one to be left in the street like this, and no community should have to walk past such a scene as if it is normal.”

Young urged the responsible authorities to intervene urgently if the Ministry of Health is indeed mandated to handle such cases. “If the Ministry of Health is indeed responsible for removing the body, then this situation requires immediate attention and action,” he said.

He added that such incidents undermine efforts to portray the city as progressing. “A city cannot talk about progress and development while something like this is allowed to continue in plain sight,” Young stated.

As of the time of reporting, there has been no official statement from the Ministry of Health or the Freetown City Council regarding the reported body or the delay in its removal.