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 Professor Sam Ajiri, pending a compulsory autopsy to determine the cause and time of his death.
Chief Magistrate N. R. Olujie issued the order after hearing a motion filed by the monarch’s first son, Mr Dike Ajiri, alongside four others, Chief Uzondu Johnson, Mr Armstrong Okorocha, Mr Henry Ekpe, and Mr Onuoha Chukwuno, against the monarch’s widow, Mrs Chinwe Ajiri.
Also listed as respondents are Ashes to Ashes Funerals Limited, the AIG Zone 9, and the Inspector-General of Police.
The applicants, represented by counsel Orgmore Kanu, urged the court to restrain Mrs. Ajiri and the funeral home from proceeding with the burial without a medically supervised autopsy, arguing that the true cause of death must be established.
They also alleged that Mrs Ajiri attempted to conduct the burial without the consent of the deceased monarch’s first wife, Eileen Ajiri, his first son, and key members of the royal family.
Magistrate Olujie ruled that the application had merit and aligned with the interest of justice.
The court relied on a legal opinion from AIG Emmanuel Ade, Director of Legal Services at Force Headquarters, which recommended that a government-approved medical team conduct the autopsy with representatives of both parties present.
Following the ruling, the court restrained Mrs Ajiri from burying HRH Prof. Ajiri until the autopsy is conducted, prohibited Ashes to Ashes Funerals Limited from releasing the monarch’s body without consent from his first son, recognised as head of the family, as well as the monarch’s cabinet and kinsmen and stopped the widow from deploying thugs or armed men to carry out or influence burial plans.
The court also directed the AIG Zone 9, the IGP, and all involved officers to retain custody of the mortuary tally, releasing it only for purposes of the court-ordered autopsy.
Tension in the Ntalakwu Oboro community heightened after conflicting claims about the monarch’s actual date of death.
Although the monarch reportedly died in September 2024, Mrs Ajiri allegedly told police investigators in Zone 9 that he passed away in December 2024, a discrepancy that further deepened family suspicions.
HRH Prof. Sam Ajiri was the Apu I of Ntalakwu Oboro Autonomous Community in Ikwuano Local Government Area, Abia State.
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