Justice Christopher Balogun of an Ikeja High Court in Lagos State on Monday gave reasons for giving an order that the corpse of Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu (rtd) should not be released to his family for burial.
The deceased is the former Military Administrator of Lagos and Imo states.
Balogun had on October 7 given an Order that the Nigerian Navy should not release the body of the ex-Lagos Military Administrator until otherwise directed by the court.
The judge had given the order at the hearing of the suit filed by one of the wives of the deceased, Mrs Gladys Kanu, against the children of the deceased, the Nigerian Navy and her co-wife.
Gladys was seeking an order of the court to direct the respondents, their agents or privies to allow her to prepare for the burial and should not threaten her.
The burial was slated for Friday, October 15, 2021.
The respondents in the suit are; Kelly Kanu, the Nigerian Navy, Simone Abiona (nee Kanu), Andrey Joe- Ezigbo (nee Kanu), Paul Ndidiamaka Kanu and Karen Johnson (nee Kanu).
Others are; Jeffery Kanu, Laura Kanu, Stephen Kanu and Josephine Ndubuisi-Kanu (wife).
The judge had said that the order was given to prevent the corpse from being tampered with as a result of the fallout from the family.
“It is for the protection of the body itself so that no one goes to tamper with that body which is to be buried this Saturday.
“There is not going to be any change of date of that burial but we are protecting the body.
“That is the only Order I gave so that there will be no inter meddlers and interlopers and going to the Nigerian Navy and saying they were told to come and collect the body and we do not see the body of our dear ex-Governor any longer.
“It is a Protective Order. I also said that of this controversy lingers and there is no proper cohesion among the lawyers to the parties it will cause some confusion in Abia State on the date of the burial.
“I gave a direction and all counsel present said that it was a good advice.
“I am concerned that the body of our ex-Governor is given a befitting burial so no one should tamper with the body,” Balogun said.
Some of the final burial rites of the ex-Lagos Military Administrator which are scheduled to hold outside Lagos will run from October 13 in Imo to October 15 in Abia.
