A Customary Court in Degema, Rivers State, has adjourned ruling on a statutory application in a contentious inheritance case involving Dr. Seinye Lulu-Briggs, widow of the late High Chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs, and his son, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs.
Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs approached the court seeking a determination, under Kalabari native laws and customs, on whether Dr. Seinye is entitled to inherit from her late husband’s estate. He argued that Seinye did not fulfill traditional mourning rites — including being present at her husband’s bedside and wailing during the burial — which he claimed are prerequisites for inheritance under Kalabari custom.
In response, Seinye’s legal counsel urged the court to strike out the matter, describing it as an abuse of court process. The lawyer noted that the same issue is already before the High Court and the Court of Appeal.
The Degema Customary Court subsequently adjourned ruling on the certiorari application to August 8. A certiorari is a directive from a higher court requesting the record of proceedings from a lower court for review.
