Seinye Lulu-Briggs, widow of the late billionaire businessman, has hit back at Dumo, her stepson, over his comments on the autopsy conducted in Accra, Ghana, on Friday.
Benson Lulu-Briggs, a Kalabari high chief and chairman of Moni Pulo Limited, an oil exploration and production company, died on December 27, 2018 on a trip to Ghana.
There are conflicting accounts on how he died — one says he died on the chartered flight while another says he arrived Accra alive.
The autopsy report, expected to be released this week, concluded that he did not die a violent death but the younger Lulu-Briggs faulted the process in an interview with TheCable.
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He said: “Curiously, one Dr. Lawrence Edusie of the Korle-Bu Hospital, an entirely different hospital and a pathologist who is unknown even to the police as far as the inquest/autopsy of High Chief O.B.Lulu-Briggs is concerned, gets involved and actually performs the autopsy, in the course of which he sends out and prevents the Nigeria police pathologist AIG Akhiwu and the Ghana police pathologist from even observing the autopsy when the autopsy is as a result of an inquest, a serious police investigation involving the Nigeria police, Ghana police and the Interpol. To make matters worse, despite repeated demands for tissue samples by my pathologist Dr Francis Faduyile, no samples were given to the parties for toxicology and histology tests.”
WIDOW RESPONDS
However, the widow has responded to Dumo in a statement sent to TheCable on Sunday.
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She said: “I read with amusement, and no small measure of amazement at the audacity Chief Dumo Lulu Briggs, to twist facts in his account of the process of autopsy performed on my late husband, High Chief (Dr) O.B Lulu-Briggs last Friday at the military hospital in Accra, Ghana – as published by The Cable.
“In his false account, Chief Dumo Lulu Briggs, chairman of Platform Petroleum, painted a picture of a clandestine operation in which I developed superhuman capabilities to overrule Nigerian and Ghanaian police officers and ensure that the autopsy was carried out at a ‘strange hospital’ by ‘strange pathologists.’
“Nothing could be further from the truth. The autopsy was conducted under tight police protection the military hospital and the operation was done by Col. (Dr) Attoh, head of the department of Anatomy of the 37 Military Hosiptal and Dr Lawrence Edusie, specialist pathologist at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
“For the record, what happened was that we all gathered Friday morning, July 19, 2019 at the Transitions funeral home, where the Ghana CID police team invited myself, Solate, Dumo and Senibo, as members of the family, to come and identify the body before its movement to the 37 Military Hospital for the autopsy.
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“As we were getting in, the Nigerian police investigation team led by ACP Adaku Uche-Anya joined us in the viewing room to identify the body. Thereafter, the police vehicle led the hearse that carried the body and we left for 37 Military Hospital. The Ghanaian police team and the Nigerian counterparts escorted the hearse into the hospital premises, while the rest of us waited outside until myself and Senibo – the first son of my husband – were invited into the conference room where we met the pathologists and policemen.
“The main pathologist, who is with the military hospital – the highly regarded Col. (Dr) Attoh and Dr Edusie walked in, introduced themselves and asked every other person in the room to also introduce themselves. Then the military pathologist announced that myself and Senibo will go with them to identify the body before the start of the autopsy, which we did.
“He then asked for the pathologists that were present in the room to announce which party they were there for. Two pathologists, Professor Agyeman Akosa (Ghanaian) and Dr. Dayo Faduyile (Nigerian) identified themselves as representing the sons. Professor Adetola Daramola (Nigerian) and Dr. Emeka Nwafor (Nigerian) identified themselves as pathologists that would observe on my behalf.
“The military hospital pathologist subsequently conferred with the Ghana CID team leader and agreed that two police investigating officers each from Ghana and Nigeria would be present during the autopsy. All the parties so identified were taken in.
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“After about three hours, they all came out smiling – indicating great satisfaction with the procedure. There were no issues. There were no complaints and we all remained in the premises until the body was prepared again to be returned to the mortuary.
“Dumo’s statement is therefore a lie because he was not even near the pathology conference room during the entire process. He ought to have asked his elder brother, Senibo, who was present, to brief him properly on what transpired. I am now used to his tactics of half-truths and outright lies in his ultimately futile bid to smear me and make me bend to his will.
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“And as for the rest of his claims, like he said, the police investigation is ongoing and I know the truth will triumph over falsehood.”
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SEINYE LULU-BRIGGS: The Black Widow of Rivers state
Re: I support the January Burial date for my late Husband and Burial Plan agreed by our family
Seinye Lulu-Briggs is a woman who seems to have mastered the art of deception and disinformation very well but learnt very little about its deployment and use in the appropriate quarters.
Reading through her signed press release on social media, it is important to alert the public of her recent antics as expected.
1: There was no time when Seinye Lulu-Briggs and any member of the family had any discussion on the set date for the burial of the late High Chief O B Lulu-Briggs. She must have in derision held the said meeting with herself.
The decision to set a date for the burial of the late sage, was reached unanimously by the Oruwari Briggs Chieftaincy house as the customs of the Kalabari people requires.
2: Seinye Lulu-Briggs forgets that Oruwari Briggs Chiefs are not dead but alive to speak for themselves. In her “infinite” wisdom she went to the media to yet again, lie against the Oruwari Briggs Council of Chiefs that they were the ones who advised that the mortal remains of High Chief O B Lulu-Briggs need not be brought back until the day of his burial.
To back up her unfounded lies, she is quoted to have said that the second son of the late High Chief superintended the burial of a member of the family, who had died in Houston, Texas, USA. Of course, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs superintended the entire process, but it is not true that he was brought back on the day of his burial. The deceased’s mortal remains were returned to Nigeria, 10 days before his burial, not a day before or on the day of the burial. Perhaps, Seinye believes that everyone has short memory span like her.
3: Seinye is credited with saying that she believes and agrees with the customs of Kalabari land, perhaps it is now time to ask her a few questions;
a. If High Chief O B Lulu-Briggs asked that he be buried according to the Kalabari customs, does the customs not include that the family of the deceased be received and taken into custody by the children and family of the deceased, while the wife goes into the “Kalabio” where she must remain till the day of the burial where upon she is called out to see the remains of her husband before it is committed to mother earth? https://www.academia.edu/12048568/KALABARI_FUNERAL_RITES_AND_THE_SIGNIFICANCE_OF_CANOE_REGATTA
b. Why is Seinye holding on to the mortal remains of the late High Chief and is asking that she be allowed to fly in the corpse on the day of the burial? Could it be that Seinye may have buried the deceased in a strange land and hopes to replace his body with someone else? Given the nature of her antics since the 27th of December 2018 when she announced to the family that the High Chief had passed on, one is tempted to ask these pertinent questions?
c. Seinye in her statements claims that there is a will in place, a will that is currently in dispute in a competent court of jurisdiction but yet she has gone ahead to convert and covet the estates and properties of the High Chief to her name and shut down most of his companies. If there is a will in place, is it not right that she waits till the body of the late High Chief is committed to mother earth before she begins the process of sharing the proceeds of his labor on earth?
“It should also be noted that it is not in line with age long Kalabari customs for Dumo and the Oruwari Briggs Council of Chiefs to go to Accra, Ghana to receive our patriarch’s body. It is my husband’s immediate family, comprising his siblings in his mother’s house, his cousins and his children who are expected to go to the mortuary and retrieve his body for the homeward journey. On their return home, the Kalabari Council of Chiefs would receive the body and lead the procession – with other paramount rulers and chiefs of Kalabari Kingdom – to Oruwari Briggs compound in Abonnema. My husband’s body would then be received by the acting Head of the Oruwari Briggs compound, signifying the beginning of his obsequies.” -Seinye Lulu-Briggs
Let me ask again; WHO ARE THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBERS OF HIGH CHIEF O B LULU-BRIGGS?
1. Senibo Lulu-Briggs
2. Dumo Lulu-Briggs
3. Sofri Lulu-Briggs
4. Rachael Lulu-Briggs
These are the immediate family members of the late High Chief known to all and sundry, so what exactly is Seinye Lulu-Briggs talking about? Wherein, in her quotes above did the custom or tradition mention the capacity or authority of the wife to be the one who escorts the mortal remains of a deceased person back from abroad or wherever? Does Seinye assume that there are no funeral homes available in Rivers state where the mortal remains of the late High Chief could be kept? In reference to her earlier attempt at misinforming the public about the remains of the Briggs family member, Seinye forgets that Ashes to Ashes funeral home is still in existence and that was where the body of the late jurist was kept and prepared, 10 days before his interment.
This brings one to ask further questions, what is Seinye Lulu-Briggs afraid of? What has Seinye Lulu-Briggs done with the mortal remains of High Chief O B Lulu-Briggs?
Seinye claims that she has been investigated by the Ghana Police Service and the Nigeria Police Force and also by the Interpol. Can Seinye explain to the public exactly why all these security agencies would pick interest in her if there is no suspicion of foul play? Why has she refused to serve the courts in Ghana where she instituted different legal suits against the Oruwari Briggs family and the children of the late High Chief with the reports of the said autopsy she claimed to have carried out on the mortal remains of High Chief O B Lulu-Briggs?
Stranger still is; Why did Seinye feel the urgent need to conduct an autopsy on the mortal remains of the late High Chief if she was so sure that he died naturally without anyone asking her to do so? Was she hoping that the action would cause the law to unlook into the circumstances around the death? Seinye ought to know and understand that the Kalabari people are easily hoodwinked nor will they twist traditions because of her.
If Seinye decides to not release the mortal remains of the late High Chief in line with the traditions to the family through Chief Barr. Dumo Lulu-Briggs (Chief Mourner) as is expected of her, then she can as well forget preparing herself for fanfare as she hopes to use the burial for.
Enough is enough with her antics. Seinye cannot continue to ridicule and disgrace and disregard the name and family of the man who married her and catered for lovingly till his death in such a manner.
“The way to support the January date is to release the corpse to us, his family and Chiefs of the Oruwari War Canoe House. Did you truly kill your husband that you don’t want to give his dead body to his family. Was it ritual killing?” – Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs