We want the right things done in our father's death - Late High Chief Lulu-Briggs' sons
Key members of the family of the late Nigerian High Chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs, comprising his three oldest sons, have finally broken their silence since their father’s untimely death upon arrival at the Kotoka International Airport, Accra under what they say were bizarre circumstances.
In an interview with Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, Chief of the Lulu-Briggs family of Abonema, Port Harcourt in the Rivers State of Nigeria and Chief mourner representing his two brothers, on what they know of their father's death beside what their stepmother and widow, Mrs Seinye Lulu-Briggs had told, he told Graphic Online that the family saw their father the day before his trip to Accra and that he looked quite well.
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He said they were not aware their stepmother had planned to bring their father who suffered some health conditions to Accra on a purported vacation. They also discovered that their father, in spite of being sick, was grounded in an aircraft together with some other persons for about five hours at the Port Harcourt Airport under the pretext of securing a landing permit to travel to Accra.
"We had since found out that there was indeed a landing permit issued with estimated time of arrival put at 1pm, Ghana time."
He said the family’s concern has been that their stepmother surreptitiously travelled with their late father to Accra without as much as a medical clearance to travel. Also, after their stepmother realised that her husband had passed on, upon arrival in Accra she failed to report the matter to the Ghana Immigration Service or the Ghana Airports Authority Limited, and neither to the Airport Police Station for a coroner's inquest to be conducted as required by the laws of Ghana, considering that their father and her husband died outside of a medical facility.
Chief Dumo said rather, their stepmother procured a medical cause of death certificate to be quickly issued, deposited the body at the Transitions Funeral Home at Haatso and procured a permit to export the body of the deceased without the consent of the rest of the family of the deceased.
He said the family was very worried about the behaviour of their stepmother considering that she had a few years prior withdrawn their father’s medication claiming that he had been healed only for him to later be unable to speak or walk.
Chief Dumo said the rest of the family were also concerned that the widow, contrary to their native laws and custom refused to hand over the mortuary receipts and medical cause of death certificate to the family, thus preventing them from taking the body, while she went ahead to have a memorial service for the deceased in Accra without the consent of the family of the deceased.
According to Chief Dumo, the principal members of the family reported the matter to the Nigeria Police Force who commenced an investigation into the circumstances of the death of High Chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs.
He said the Nigerian Police, through Interpol, came to Ghana to seek the assistance of the Ghana Police Service, CID to investigate the death of High Chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs. "The Ghana Police obtained an order to conduct an autopsy on the deceased on Friday 12th July 2019, which autopsy was frustrated by lawyers for the widow, Kimathi and Partners, as well as Transitions Funeral Home. The Ghana police set another date for the autopsy and informed the parties at a meeting, which was subsequently confirmed by letter dated 15th July 2019. The contents of the letter issued by the Ghana Police was to the effect that the autopsy would be done at 37 Military Hospital and among other things, that three sets of samples would be taken from deceased for further testing, each party (the police, the widow and the principal members of the family) getting one sample each.
"On Thursday, 18th July 2019, following an application to the Court, the High Court, Accra presided over by Justice Eric Kyei Baffour, adopted the aforesaid agreement of the parties as the Order of the Court, which said Order among other things confirmed that three sets of samples for examination would be taken during the autopsy and the Police shall take one sample while the two parties would also take one each if so requested."
He said contrary to the aforesaid Order of the Court and in a rather bizarre twist of events, the autopsy was conducted by a certain Dr. Lawrence Adusei, instead of the named Col. (Dr.) Attoh.
"Dr. Lawrence Adusei, in blatant disregard for the said Court Order, did not only refuse to take three samples for examination but also emphatically denied our request for a sample. Accordingly, the autopsy was conducted in blatant breach of the aforesaid Court Order. The principal members of the family have since petitioned the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Division of the Ghana Police Service, regarding the credibility of the autopsy."
Chief Dumo said the family's lawyer, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah has applied for an order of injunction restraining the widow from taking the corpse outside of Ghana and out of the reach of the family members of the deceased immediately after the autopsy.
He said even though the principal members of the family of the late High Chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs have reached out to the widow through her lawyers to resolve the issues so that they can arrange to take the body of their late father and husband home for a befitting burial as soon as possible, the response of the widow has been two Writs of summons and a motion for an injunction issued against him and his brothers.
Meanwhile the matter continues in the High Court, Accra to determine who is the rightful party to take the body of the late High Chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs for burial, while the Ghana Police Service, the Nigerian Police Force and Interpol continue their investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding his death.
