Lulu-Briggs’ widow loses again as court orders release of husband’s remains for burial

The Ghana supreme court has upheld the judgement of the high court ordering Seinye, widow of Benson Lulu-Briggs, founder of Moni Pulo limited, to release the remains of her late husband to his family for burial.

Seinye had headed to the supreme court after she lost her appeal for stay of execution of the Ghanaian high court judgement that ordered her to release the remains of her late husband for burial.

In its ruling on Tuesday, the apex court dismissed Seinye’s application and the one filed by Dumo Lulu-Briggs, second eldest son of the deceased, preventing the release of the disputed autopsy report to the high court but rather to the coroner’s court, respectively.

The court, presided over by Dotse, a judge, held that it had wished that the matters were settled amicably between the family and the widow without recourse to the plenty applications filed before the courts by Seinye.

The court also held that the undertaking Dumo was asked to file guaranteeing that the widow would not be subjected to any barbaric practices in Nigeria, “was of no effect, as same is unnecessary because no such customs exist”.

It added that the deceased was at all times a Nigerian, never Ghanaian, and such an undertaking filed in the Ghana court, is not enforceable in Nigeria.

Commenting on the judgement, Dumo said the impediments to taking custody of the remains of their late father has been removed and “his body can finally come home”.

He added that his family will meet the chiefs of the Oruwari-Briggs house and announce a date for the deceased burial.

“Since the Certiorari application filed at the Supreme Court by the widow of our father, Mrs. Seinye Lulu-Briggs to quash those orders of the Ghana High Court that the Ghana Police and the Enterprise Funeral Home should release the mortal remains of our father to his family by custom, led by Chief Dumo O.B. Lulu-Briggs, Head and Chief mourner, but rather return the matter to the Ghana High Court has been dismissed by the Supreme Court, the final impediments to taking custody of the corpus of our dearly departed father has been removed and his body can finally come home, “Dumo said in a statement.

“With that impediment removed, our family will meet and together with the chiefs of the Oruwari Briggs House, announce a burial date the day after our father’s body arrives in Port Harcourt and promptly organise a befitting burial for our dearly departed Opuda, the Paramount Head of the Oruwari Briggs War Canoe House of Abonema,.

“We hope that this Ruling of the Supreme Court and the various interventions of well-meaning public officials, will bring finality to the controversial issue of who has the right, under Kalabari native law and custom, to take the mortal remains of our father for burial.

” We also hope that our stepmother will keep her word, given at a recent meeting between the Inspector General of the Nigerian Police Force, the widow and the children of the Late High Chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs, at which she, Seinye Lulu-Briggs agreed to withdraw all pending matters before the courts in Ghana and to let the Coroner’s Inquest into the death of our father continue before the Kaneshie Magistrates Court in Ghana hold, so that we can all have the needed closure and begin to heal.”