It looks like Oraye St. Franklyn Esq. has settled
into his new job as Spokesman for Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs and has as of
18th October, 2019, published a response to the Graphic Online report on Mrs.
Lulu-Briggs’ challenge of the Order for an Inquest granted by the Kaneshie
Magistrates Court. The said response is however fraught with presumptions and
inaccuracies, and is unfortunate to say the least because the whole article was
about putting out facts.
First of all he “presumes” that https://www.graphic.com.gh/, the online
portal for Ghana’s national newspaper is a “Ghanaian online tabloid”, and this
is disrespectful to the Ghanaian media, which he obviously has little regard
for. Also, he seems to think that an autopsy is the only basis for an inquest
into the suspicious death of a person under the Coroners Act, 1960 (Act 18) and
goes to great lengths to conclude that the autopsy was conclusive on the cause
of death of a High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs, when there has not been an inquest
as legally required, to determine the cause of death.
Secondly, he says that the Kaneshie District
Magistrate Court lacks the jurisdiction to order an inquest on the death of
High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs because matter is before a High Court in Ghana.
The Coroner’s inquest is within the exclusive jurisdiction of the District
Magistrate court as conferred by Act 18 and no other higher court for that
matter. Oraye St. Franklyn Esq has obviously not apprised himself of the
contents of Act 18 and yet speaks about it as if he was so knowledgeable, which
is again unfortunate.
Thirdly, the matter in the High Court in Ghana is
NOT an inquest into the cause of death of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs. It is a
matter concerning the rightful person to take the mortal remains of the High
Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs for burial. In the said case before the High Court,
commenced by Mrs. Lulu-Briggs, she is claiming that the mortal remains of her husband
should be given to her, which assertion is contrary to the customs and
tradition of the people of the Kalabari Kingdom of Rivers State, Nigeria. She
has further filed a motion for injunction to restrain anyone, particularly the
Chief of the Family, from taking the mortal remains of High Chief O. B.
Lulu-Briggs for burial apart from her. It is these court cases instituted by
Mrs. Lulu-Briggs that have delayed the burial of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs.
Inspite, of her actions, her recently appointed Spokesman maintains that “The
accusation that she …. is unwilling to release it [the body of High Chief O. B.
Lulu-Briggs] for interment is untrue.” Interestingly, Mrs Seinye Lulu-Briggs
has further challenged the constitutionality (compliance with the Ghanaian
Constitution) of the said customs and tradition of the people of Kalabari
Kingdom of Rivers State, Nigeria in the Supreme Court of Ghana, much to the
chagrin of the Kalabari people.
Fourthly, Oraye St. Franklyn Esq. published
information about the conduct of the autopsy, which are manifestly false. He
said that the “other two pathologists were from the Ghanaian Police”, when it
is trite knowledge that the Ghana Police Pathologist, Dr. Osei Owusu-Afriyie
and the Nigerian Police Pathologist were denied access to the autopsy theatre
by Dr. Lawrence Adusei. And were not present at the autopsy. Also, there was no
“Ghanaian Prof. Akosua B. Domfeh of the Yale University School of Medicine”
present at the autopsy as Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs’ second pathologist. Perhaps,
Oraye St. Franklyn Esq. has not had the chance to get a proper briefing from
his client or read about this matter, before penning the publication which he
has put out in the Nigerian media. Or perhaps this is all deliberate.
The major issue arising out of the publication is
the erroneous suggestion that the Order for an Inquest granted by Her Worship
Mrs. Mrs E.K. Barnes-Botchway is a predetermination of the cause of death of
the High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs, when the Order only signifies the commencement
of the enquiry into the cause of the death. Perhaps a little refresher on the
legal requirements for an inquest is necessary for Oraye St. Franklyn Esq., who
is himself a lawyer. The learned judge ordered that the autopsy report be
submitted to her so that she can, along with other circumstantial evidence
which had been presented to her by Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs in his Affidavit,
determine the proper cause of death of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs. The
determination by the learned judge that the deceased had died an unnatural
death is only a preliminary determination, much like determining that a prima
facie case had been established, for the inquest to commence. The, learned
judge is about to start the conduct an evidentiary hearing in the matter to settle
the issue of the cause of death. It unclear at this moment, why the Order for
the Inquest has cause such fear and panic to Mrs. Seinye Lulu-Briggs.
Curiously, the publication refers to a
preliminary report on the autopsy. This report has however not been shared with
the Ghana Police, the court or the family of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs, and
seems to be in the bosom of Mrs. Lulu-Briggs. Or perhaps, she is the author of
the said preliminary report on the autopsy, same as she authored the purported
Will of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs.
What is even more curious is that the widow of
High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs, who was one of ten persons on the fatal and last
journey of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs, is the only person who seems to have a
problem with the enquiry into the death of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs. The
rest of the persons have been silent, perhaps because they have nothing to
hide. One would think that the widow would embrace the opportunity for an
evidentiary hearing in the matter, so that she can be possibly vindicated and
the matter can be laid to rest, once for all time, but alas not. Her actions
since her husband died, have defied all reason, and have formed the basis for
the request for an inquest into the death of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs.
There are abundant contradictions in the various statements she has made to the
family of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs, the Nigerian Police, and in documents
filed in the Ghanaian courts. She has left no doubt in the minds of right
thinking members of society that there are questions to be answered regarding
the circumstances and death of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs, and those
questions can only be answered by law, in a Coroners Inquest. Mrs. Seinye
Lulu-Briggs deprived the family of her deceased husband the right to know the
true circumstances of his death in December 2018, when he died and she
continues, almost a year after his death, to fight every rightful attempt by
the family led by the Chief of the Family, to look into the matter, including alleging
bias against 2 honourable members of the Ghanaian judiciary. She continues to
also hold the mortal remains of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs hostage with her
various applications to the courts of Ghana, currently numbering five (5),
which have denied the Chief of the Family the right to set a date for the
laying to rest of the mortal remains of their dear patriarch, at his hometown.
It looks like the events leading to the death of
High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs on that fateful December day, have caught up with
people involved. The report of the death of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs, which
was required to be made by the widow, to the Ghana Police on the death of her
husband outside of a medical facility, and which report was not made because
Mrs Lulu-Briggs feared that an inquest would be made into his death, has been
eventually made by the Ghana Police to the Coroner, after 6 months of the
occurrence of the death. Finally the true circumstances surrounding the death
of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs will be known, in order that his family can get
some closure. Perhaps, High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs, who was himself a defender
of the rights of persons, and the Christian faith while he was alive, is
fighting his own killers, even after his death.
Oraye St. Franklyn Esq, in his frenzy and zeal to
please his new boss , wrote all manner of lies against the Ghana Coroners Court
through the respected Nigerian newspaper Guardian Nigeria newspapers https://guardian.ng/news/why-i-am-against-court-inquest-order-on-my-late-husband-seinye-lulu-briggs/
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