‘Respect The Dead’: Toyin Alausa Slams Sharing Of Death Images On Social Media

Veteran Nollywood actress, Toyin Alausa, has raised concerns over what she described as the increasing culture of exploiting death for social media attention, warning that the practice is disturbing, disrespectful, and inhumane.

In a post shared on her Instagram, Alausa criticised the growing tendency of individuals to record and circulate images and videos of deceased persons online, questioning the motive behind exposing the dead to public view.

According to the actress, once a death is confirmed, the immediate and proper response should be to cover the body, particularly the face as a mark of respect and dignity.

She stressed that shielding the deceased not only honours them but also helps provide emotional closure for grieving family members, adding that public exposure of lifeless bodies serves no humane purpose.

Alausa acknowledged that there may be rare situations where documentation is necessary, such as for clarification or when immediate family members are not present. However, she insisted that such footage should not be turned into social media content.

She described the trend as a sad reflection of society’s growing lack of empathy, noting that recording and posting scenes of death whether from road accidents, hospitals, or homes has become disturbingly normalised.

The actress further warned that repeated exposure to images of deceased persons can be traumatic and emotionally harmful, urging the public to exercise restraint, compassion, and respect for the dead and their families.

Alausa concluded by calling on Nigerians to do better and adopt a more empathetic approach when confronted with death.