Breaking: 26 Nigerian female migrants who died in the Mediterranean buried

The 26 Nigerian female migrants who died in the Mediterranean on November 3 have been buried, NAIJ.com can report.

They were buried at the Salerno’s Monumental Cemetery in Italy by the country’s government, according to witnesses.

It is learnt that most of the 26 females were between the ages of 14 and 30 and their bodies were recovered from the Mediterranean by a Spanish Warship, Cantabria.

Only five of them were identified. The Local, an Italian newspaper, also reports that to honour the victims, some of whom were said to have drowned, the city’s mayor declared Friday, November 17, a day of mourning.

With this, local schools are to hold a minute of silence, while light displays in the city centre would be switched off on Friday evening in remembrance.

One of the victims was 20-year-old Marian Shaka.

The burial ceremony of the victims was also confirmed by Nigeria’s former education minister, Oby Ezekwesili, who prayed that the unfortunate incident should be the last in the country.

“Our 26 daughters are being buried in Italy today. Oh that this would be the LAST TIME we’d lose daughters of Nigeria in such shamefully tragic manner on the Mediterranean Sea!” She prayed.

“The report indicates that a Spanish Warship, Cantabria, brought the remains of the migrants to Southern Italian Port of Salerno.

“The Italian security officials who made this discovery are yet to confirm if they were purposely killed and why all who died were female,” the statement had said.