Nigeria, June 4 -- The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) has raised concerns over the reliability of Nigeria's current maternal mortality statistics, questioning how such data is obtained without adequate post-mortem investigations.

During the NIMR's monthly media briefing on Tuesday, the institute called for a national maternal mortality audit that includes mandatory autopsies for all maternal deaths in Nigeria to generate reliable data on the causes of maternal mortality and improve government response to the crisis.

In his remarks, NIMR's Director-General, Oladapo Obafunwa, observed that most deaths are under-reported or misclassified, particularly because they are not properly investigated.

Mr Obafunwa, a Forensic Patho...