By Henry Ojelu
The Magistrate Court of Abia State sitting in Olori, Ikwuano Magisterial District, has stopped the planned burial of the late traditional ruler of Ntalakwu Oboro Autonomous Community, HRH Prof. Sam Ajiri, pending the conduct of an autopsy to determine the cause and time of his death.
Chief Magistrate N. R. Olujie gave the order after hearing a motion filed by the deceased monarch’s first son, Mr. Dike Ajiri, and four others—Chief Uzondu Johnson, Mr. Armstrong Okorocha, Mr. Henry Ekpe, and Mr. Onuoha Chukwuno—against Mrs. Chinwe Ajiri, widow of the late monarch.
Also joined as respondents in the suit are Ashes to Ashes Funerals Limited; the AIG Zone 9, Nigeria Police Command; and the Inspector-General of Police.
The plaintiffs, through their counsel, Orgmore Kanu, had asked the court to restrain the defendants from proceeding with the burial of the monarch without an autopsy, citing the need to ascertain the true cause of death.
They also accused Mrs. Ajiri of attempting to carry out the burial without the consent of the deceased’s first wife, Eileen Ajiri, his first son, and his brothers.
In his ruling, Magistrate Olujie held that the application had merit and that granting it would serve the ends of justice.
The court relied on a legal opinion issued by AIG Emmanuel Ade, Director of Legal Services at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, which recommended that an autopsy be conducted by a government-approved medical team with representatives from both parties present.
Consequently, the court restrained Mrs. Ajiri from burying the late monarch until the autopsy is completed as requested by his first son, first wife, and brothers.
The court also restrained Ashes to Ashes Funerals Limited from releasing the monarch’s remains to Mrs. Ajiri or any other person without the consent of his son, who was recognized by the court as the head of the family, along with the monarch’s kinsmen and cabinet.
Similarly, the court barred Mrs. Ajiri from using hired thugs or armed men to carry out or influence the burial of the late traditional ruler.
The court further directed the AIG Zone 9, the Inspector-General of Police, and all police officers involved in the case to retain custody of the mortuary tally and not release it to any individual except for the purpose of conducting the autopsy.
The order followed growing tension in the Ntalakwu Oboro community over the burial arrangements of the late monarch, whose death in September 2024 has sparked controversy among family members, as Mrs Ajiri had allegedly told the Police in Zone 9 in her written statement that the late Eze Ajiri died in December 2024.
Until his death, HRH Prof. Ajiri was the Apu I of Ntalakwu Oboro Autonomous Community in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State.
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