Court stops burial of Abia monarch, orders autopsy over cause of death

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 granted 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.

The suit was brought against the widow of the late monarch, Mrs. Chinwe Ajiri, alongside Ashes to Ashes Funerals Limited, the AIG Zone 9 of the Nigeria Police, and the Inspector-General of Police.

Through their counsel, Orgmore Kanu, the plaintiffs urged the court to restrain the defendants from proceeding with the burial without an autopsy, stressing the need to ascertain the true cause of death.

They accused Mrs. Ajiri of attempting to conduct the burial without the consent of the deceased ruler’s first wife, Eileen Ajiri, his first son, and his brothers.

Ruling on the motion, Magistrate Olujie held that the application had merit, adding that granting it would “serve the ends of justice.”

The court adopted 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 in the presence of representatives from all sides.

Consequently, Magistrate Olujie restrained Mrs. Ajiri from burying the monarch until the autopsy is completed as requested by his first son, first wife, and kinsmen.

The court also ordered Ashes to Ashes Funerals Limited not to release the remains of the late monarch to Mrs. Ajiri or any individual without the consent of his son, who the court recognized as the head of the family, together with the monarch’s cabinet and kinsmen.

Similarly, the court barred Mrs. Ajiri from using “hired thugs or armed men” to forcefully carry out the burial.

It further directed the AIG Zone 9, the Inspector-General of Police, and all officers involved to retain custody of the mortuary tally and release it only for the purpose of conducting the autopsy.

The ruling comes amid escalating tension in Ntalakwu Oboro over disagreements surrounding the burial arrangements of the late monarch, who died in September 2024.

The controversy deepened after Mrs. Ajiri reportedly told Zone 9 Police in her written statement that the traditional ruler died in December 2024, a claim disputed by the rest of the family.

Until his death, HRH Prof. Sam Ajiri was the Apu I of Ntalakwu Oboro Autonomous Community in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State.