By Mandy Willy
A Customary Court sitting in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State has adjourned to 8 August, 2025, for ruling on a suturari application in the ongoing inheritance dispute between 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 had approached the court in suit DECC/RS/11/2025, seeking a determination based on Kalabari native laws and customs, questioning whether Seinye Lulu-Briggs is entitled to inherit from her late husband.
He claimed she failed to observe the traditional mourning rites, including being by her husband’s bedside and wailing during the burial, as required by Kalabari custom.
During court proceedings, counsel for Seinye Lulu-Briggs urged the court to dismiss the case on grounds of abuse of court process. He submitted that the same matter is already pending before both the High Court and the Court of Appeal.
“We have filed a suturari application at the High Court, asking it to quash these customary court proceedings since the subject matter is already before superior courts,” said Anthony Eyindah, counsel to Dr. Seinye Lulu-Briggs, while speaking to journalists after the hearing.
“The claimant in this suit Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs initiated similar cases at the Court of Appeal and the High Court. It is legally improper for this Customary Court to proceed, as it does not have equal jurisdiction with those higher courts,” Eyindah argued.
He added that the defense has urged the Degema Customary Court to suspend its proceedings until the superior courts have delivered their rulings.
Meanwhile, civil society groups and women’s rights advocates who attended the court hearing have condemned the suit, describing it as harassment of widows.
Tamunoibuemi Life-JimGeorge, Chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) in Rivers State, expressed concern over what she termed “barbaric traditions” being used to deprive women of their rights.
“As a Kalabari woman, I consulted traditional rulers, and I found no credible evidence that such a custom exists, where a woman loses inheritance rights simply because she didn’t cry or stand by her husband’s corpse. This is harassment of widows, and we say no to it.”
She stressed that the legal system must protect vulnerable women, warning that if a woman of Seinye Lulu-Briggs’ status can face such treatment, poorer and voiceless women face far worse.
Chairperson of the African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) Rivers State, Gloria Ohia, described the ongoing case as part of a wider pattern of harmful cultural practices against widows.
“We came here in solidarity with Dr. Seinye Lulu-Briggs. It is shocking that someone of her societal standing is facing this kind of treatment. This proves that harmful widowhood practices cut across class and status,” Ohia said.
The Court however adjourned for ruling on the suturari motion to 8 August, 2025.
