Kaduna: Man urges siblings to release mother’s corpse after 18 months
…Says no intimidation will override court’s judgment
By Austine Agbo Emmanuel, Kaduna
Eighteen months after the death of Mrs. Cecilia Peter Bakam, her remains are yet to be buried due to a prolonged family dispute, despite multiple court rulings ordering her burial in line with Bajju customs.
The deceased’s eldest son, Emmanuel Sunday Bakam, has again appealed to his siblings to obey the judgment of the Kaduna State Customary Court of Appeal, which upheld an earlier ruling directing the immediate release of the corpse for burial by family elders in accordance with tradition.
Emmanuel, supported by Bajju elders, said the prolonged delay is not only unlawful but also a cultural aberration, stressing that no amount of intimidation or legal maneuvering will override the valid court judgment.
“We are all bound by the law. The court has ruled that the corpse be released to the family elders and myself as the first son for burial according to Christian and cultural rites. That ruling must be respected,” he told NewsDirect Newspaper.
According to him, his siblings: Hajiya Maryam Doka, Maureen Kabruk, Veronica Dudu Bakam, George Bakam, and Pascalina Bakam, have continued to defy the ruling, having now filed a fresh appeal at the Federal Court of Appeal after failing to comply within the 30-day grace period granted by the appellate court.
Emmanuel said efforts have been made through the Customary Court in Sabon Tasha to enforce the judgment, even as the appellants continue to pursue another appeal.
The case, which has attracted widespread attention in southern Kaduna, originated from a disagreement over the late Mrs. Bakam’s final resting place. While Emmanuel and the Bajju elders insisted on a traditional burial outside the home, his siblings claimed the deceased had expressed a wish to be buried beside her late husband inside a room.
In 2024, the Upper Customary Court in Sabon Tasha led by Justice Douglas ruled in Emmanuel’s favour, and this was upheld by the Kaduna State Customary Court of Appeal, presided over by Justice Yusuf Yakubu.
The court declared that Bajju customary law must take precedence over individual preferences, affirming that traditional rites are binding.
Justice Yakubu emphasized that any further delay in burying the deceased would not only be unlawful but a direct affront to cultural heritage.
The Bajju ethnic group, native to Zangon Kataf LGA in southern Kaduna, maintains strict burial customs. According to tradition, the first son and community elders are vested with the responsibility of organizing burial rites. Interment within a room is considered culturally inappropriate and spiritually dangerous.
NewsDirect Newspaper gathered that similar traditions exist among other ethnic groups in Nigeria, including the Igbo, Tiv, and Idoma cultures, where ancestral burial protocols and the role of family hierarchy are regarded as sacred.
With the legal battle now before the Federal Court of Appeal, Emmanuel reaffirmed his confidence in the judiciary and called for peace and compliance with existing rulings.
“My appeal is simple: obey the court judgment. Let our mother be laid to rest in dignity, as our culture and the law require. No amount of pressure or intimidation can change that,” he added.
