₦airaland Forum

ORUWARI BRIGGS HOUSE WARN DUMO’S SPOKESMAN TO STEER CLEAR FROM FAMILY AFFAIRS

The Oruwari Briggs Group of Houses of Abonnema have issued a stern warning to Sotonye Ijuye-Dagogo, spokesman to Dumo Lulu-Briggs, to desist from meddling in the affairs of the Oruwari Briggs Family.

The warning was contained in a statement signed by the Secretary of the Oruwari Briggs House, Promise I. T. Briggs on the directive of Chief Oyibo Anabraba, the Acting Head of the Oruwari Briggs House following an invitation extended to journalists by the said Sotonye Ijuye-Dagogo to provide media coverage for a meeting by the Oruwari Briggs Family scheduled for Saturday 15th February in Abonnema.

The statement also disclaims Sotonye Ijuye-Dagogo as a member of the Oruwari Briggs Family. According to it “the said Sotonye Ijuye-Dagogo is neither a member of the Oruwari Briggs Family nor known to the family”.

The Oruwari Briggs Group of Houses called on journalists and the general public to disregard the purported meeting as no such meeting has been scheduled or authorized.

High Chief (Dr.) O. B. Lulu-Briggs Died of Natural Causes

Today, Tuesday February 11, 2020 in Accra, Ghana the report of the autopsy which was carried out on my beloved husband High Chief Dr. O.B. Lulu-Briggs’ body at 37 Military Hospital in Accra, Ghana on July 19, 2019 was made public.
 
As expected the autopsy report concluded that he died from natural causes.  There was no foul play.  Indeed, this confirms the preliminary findings which I made a statement about at the time.
 
I give glory, thanks, honor and praise to God Almighty, in whom my family and I trust fully, that my innocence has been confirmed.
 
My husband was such a wonderful God-fearing and loving man. He was by God’s grace an accomplished and distinguished elder statesman, business mogul and philanthropist. I loved, adored and cared for him all the years we lived together as one.  And I miss him dearly. We all do.  
 
It is public knowledge that soon after he passed into glory, our family came under a vitriolic attack by our three older sons, Senibo, Dumo and Sofiri.  It is my fervent prayer that the resulting false, shameful, satanic lies and rumors regarding the manner of our patriarch’s passing, including the preposterous allegation that I killed him, can now be laid to rest once and for all.
 
I want to thank all those family, friends and well-wishers who stood by us through what has been a most harrowing and painful experience. Now more than ever before, I understand the trauma that widows experience in our communities when they lose their husbands and are extremely vulnerable.  As a Christian, I have forgiven all those who have maligned me and my family.
 
Since my husband peacefully transited to glory my top priority has been to ensure that he is accorded the dignified Christian burial he wanted.  There is no justifiable reason why we should not have granted his wish by now.
 
He was a good man; he lived a long illustrious life in love and service to humanity.
 
I call on all members of our family, our Abonnema community, the Kalabari Kingdom and our friends to come together  and let us bury my husband, our legendary leader, father and friend, High Chief Dr. O.B. Lulu-Briggs.  It’s the very least that we can do to honor and pay due respects to his memory as we thank God for the privilege of having known him.
 
Dr (Mrs.)Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs

LULU-BRIGGS: GHANAIAN HIGH COURT THROWS OUT DUMO’S SUIT AIMED AT FURTHER DELAYING BURIAL

A Ghanaian High Court on Monday threw out a suit instituted by Dumo Lulu-Briggs, the son of deceased oil mogul High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs. The suit, it appears, sought to further delay the burial of the respected Nigerian High Chief and industrialist by evading the need to fulfil the 23rd December 2019 court imposed preconditions for the release of the body of his father by the Ghanaian Police and Mortuary.

A mild drama happened in court when Lawyers for the embattled son, Dumu Lulu-Briggs sought to move their application for clarification of the 23rd December 2019 Court order. Lawyers representing the widow of the High Chief vehemently opposed the application. It was a shouting march of sorts between both parties. Sanity was restored by the court who called for calm by both parties and overruled the lawyers representing the widow by declaring that the application had merit and would be heard. The courts ruling however shocked both Parties.

According to the Judge, “I have been invited to clarify my order of the 23rd of December 2019. My order is self-explanatory and need no other clarification.” On the strength of the invocation of the supervisory jurisdiction of the Supreme Court by Dumu Lulu-Briggs, the court said, “I should not appear to be shifting the goal post so as to prejudice the appeal and the applications pending at the Supreme Court. Finding no need for the clarification, I dismiss the application.”

It is still not understood why Mr. Dumo approached the Supreme Court of Ghana to invoke its supervisory role over the High Court if he had no understanding of the judgment it delivered. The High Court as it turns out would have no part in that gimmickry and consequently struck it out.

Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs, Chairman Board of Trustees of the O. B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation at the invitation of the General Officer Commanding 6 Division Port Harcourt, Maj. General F. O. Agugo, attended the West African Social Activities held Saturday at the Port Harcourt Barracks.

The event, which signaled the end of military activities for 2019 and attracted participation from far and wide brought together officers and soldiers of the 6 Division in a convivial atmosphere to celebrate and honour Army families.

Among dignitaries who graced the event were the Governor of Rivers State represented by Hon. Dr. Tammy Danagogo, the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Rear Admiral Akinjide Akinrinade, Commander Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) and Brig Gen. T. R. Afio, Commander 6 Division Garrison.

Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs commended the GOC, the officers and soldiers of the 6 Division Port Harcourt for sustaining peace, security and safety in the Niger Delta region. She said in credit to their sacrificial duties to our nation, citizens and expatriates now find the Niger Delta region a safe haven to live and do business in. She announced the provision of free scholarships for 150 children of fallen soldiers as well as five million naira, 200 bags of rice and free legal services to widows of fallen soldiers facing any form of oppression on the basis of their being widows.

In a moving speech that coincided with the 3rd cancelled burial date of her husband (25th January 2020) by his 3 eldest sons she said, “although I am bereaved of my dearly beloved husband, the High Chief Dr. O. B. Lulu-Briggs, God bless his soul, a distinguished nationalist, statesman and philanthropist extraordinaire, I took particular interest in accepting this invitation and being here on this day because this is an event that brings families together, including widows like me, who have been left without husbands and children who have been left without fathers most of whom have paid the ultimate price for the security and integrity of our nation.

“As Chairman of the O. B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation, I am here to further strengthen our partnership with the 6 Division Nigerian Army in supporting soldiers’ wives and widows who are the bedrock and strength of Army families, the primary support-base of officers and soldiers whose sworn allegiance to our beloved Nigeria is to keep the rest of us safe and secure. Ours is a partnership that began 5 years ago, and which we intend to sustain for as long as God in His gracious benevolence enables us to.”

In announcing the free legal service support for widows of deceased soldiers, she said “It is also important to say that as a people, beyond the walls of this barracks, it is time we rose together as one to do more to protect widows from stigmatization, persecution and oppression by those who seek to take advantage of their bereavement. Widows should rather be comforted and empowered to sustain the families they are left with after the passing of their beloved husbands. I believe it is time for a more coordinated approach in protecting widows and ensuring that those who victimize, persecute and dehumanize them are made to face laws that do not just bark but actually bite. It is something I am personally committed to.” She said the support of the O. B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation to the widows of deceased soldiers was to assure them that they were not forgotten and that the sacrifices of their beloved husbands in defending our nation are very well appreciated.

“Based on my personal bitter, harrowing and shocking experience after the passing of my dearly beloved husband even at the graceful age of 88, I now understand better the horror and terror faced by some widows when they are most vulnerable. Therefore, to ensure that the widows of our fallen heroes are not persecuted for any reason associated with the loss of their husbands, the O. B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation is instituting a free legal service to help protect widows’ rights and uphold their dignity as respectable members of society. The free legal service will cover the cost of providing legal advice and adjudication of cases in court against the persecution of widows who want to defend their rights but lack the financial means to do so.”

Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs hailed the GOC, the officers and men of the 6 Division for the success of the event, which she noted showcased diverse cultural performances from across Nigeria.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/01/lulu-briggs-widow-joins-goc-to-honour-army-families-widows-children/

Dumo’s CHRONICLE OF LIES AND FALSEHOODS
-A response

Widow of the founder of Moni Pulo Limited, High Chief Olu Benson Lulu-Briggs, Seinye has discredited statements made against her person by her stepson, Dumo Lulu-Briggs over the late Lulu-Briggs.

The widow in a statement she personally signed and made available to newsmen in reaction to Dumo’s interview on Rhythm FM in Port-Harcourt (Dated Saturday, 18th January 2020) chronicled several lies peddled by her stepson and targeted at maligning her person.

Her words, “I was greatly dismayed as I listened to the lies and disinformation of my son Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs concerning the crisis he has created in our family including the >>> Click link for more.

https://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2020/01/24/dumos-chronicle-of-lies-falsehood-lulu-briggs-widow/

The O. B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation’s N120,000 cash grant & brand new laptop award ensures that financial constraints don’t restrict prospective Rivers State students from the Nigerian Law School attendance.

The grant awards programs which began in 2009 is open to all Rivers State indigenes who are already admitted into law school and who have achieved Law degree with at least a Second-Class Upper Divison.

The requirement of the Second-Class Upper Division doesn’t apply to students who are of Kalabari origin.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSemGeYdvcSOepSSCon-sljzrm7SDGPZx-Kqh_AALiqMRA8CTg/viewform

DUMO PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE NONRELEASE OF FATHER'S BODY FOR BURIAL

The demand made by Dumo Lulu-briggs, the second son of High Chief Dr. O. B. Lulu-briggs on his stepmother to release the body of his father for burial is misplaced. Dumo knows that rather than his stepmother, it is the Ghanaian Police and Mortary that have custody of his father's body. He also knows, especially as a lawyer, that he is duty bound to give the written unconditional undertakings as ordered by the court. That is the court-imposed precondition before the release of the body. His claim that he had instructed his lawyers to do so on his behalf is immaterial. To this day, both he and his lawyers have not fulfilled the court imposed preconditions for the release of his father's body and are, therefore, deliberately snubbing and undermining the order of a court of competent jurisdiction.

As a matter of fact, the main issue has never been about the release of his father’s body for burial but about access to and control of his father’s assets. This is because while he publicly claims to be desirous of obtaining his father’s body, through emissaries he privately seeks to negotiate control of his father’s assets with his stepmother demanding that until all beneficiaries agree to set aside the Last Will and Testament of High Chief O. B. Lulu-briggs there would be no burial.

The truth is that body of High Chief O. B. Lulu-briggs has always been ready for burial. Dumo knows this and he knows that blocking the release of the report of an autopsy he instigated, participated in, and which was duly conducted by a neutral body, the Ghanaian Military and monitored by both the Nigerian and Ghanaian Police, amounts to deliberately delaying the burial of his father. This has always been his intention. He has no right to block the release of the autopsy report of one that was duly carried out and certified so by the Ghanaian military and police as well as his own representative pathologists. His appeal at the Supreme Court against the release of the autopsy report amounts to blocking it and it is for no other reason than the fact that it exonerates his stepmother whom he accuses of murdering his father. That allegation is contained in his several petitions in Nigeria and Ghana.

Evidently, the release of the body of High Chief O. B. Lulu-briggs for burial personally lies in the hands of Dumo Lulu-briggs. The claim that he does not have access to the body of his father is false. He had access to the body before the autopsy was done and visited the mortuary more than once to see the body. He also PERSONALLY signed the documents depositing the body of his father at the mortuary after the autopsy and has never been or ever will be stopped from accessing the body.

On the very day the judgment was given, Dumo and his co-travellers were at the mortuary in the guise of fulfilling the order of the court mandating him to have his stepmother represented and involved during both the burial preparations and actual burial of her husband. He did this to mislead the mortuary and undermine the judgement of the court. Strangely he also offered to indemnify the mortuary of any liabilities that may arise from his attempt at unlawfully obtaining the body of her husband.

Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-briggs maintains that Dumo must comply with the court-imposed preconditions and allow the autopsy report be released. She insists that if the burial of her husband is truly his son's interest as he, Dumo, claims, then he should fulfil the court imposed pre-conditions on him and allow the release of the report of the autopsy that was duly conducted. Other false claims made during the live interview monitored on Rhthym 93.7 FM's ViewPoint will be addressed in due course.

Oraye St. Franklyn
Spokesman, Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-briggs
__________

[Insert] A photo of Dumo Lulu-Briggs during the signing in and depositing of his father’s body at the mortuary that he personally did.

*DUMO LIED ABOUT BLOCKING FATHER’S AUTOPSY REPORT*

It is more than a year since the passing of High Chief (Dr.) O. B. Lulu-Briggs, renowned Nigerian statesman, nationalist and philanthropist, a man who reached out to as many as he could. It has been more than a year since the body of this great man has been in a mortuary awaiting interment that is being delayed because his three eldest sons led by Dumo Lulu-Briggs, the second son, are bent on obtaining their father’s legacy assets which the High Chief during his lifetime had secured in a Trust for the benefit of his grandchildren and future generations.

In their quest to obtain the said assets they falsely accused his adoring wife and next-of-kin of being responsible for his death. They wrote petitions to that effect to both the Nigerian and Ghanaian Police and arranged for an autopsy to be done on July 12, 2019 without her involvement. This they did, amongst others, in their bid to fabricate untrue evidence to corroborate their wicked allegations, the consequence of which would be death by law.

To guarantee the integrity and independence of the autopsy, she approached the High Court of Ghana to ensure that a neutral body conducted the autopsy and assure representation of observer pathologists representing her three stepsons, Senibo, Dumo and Sofiri Lulu-Briggs, herself and their four siblings, respectively.

Thus, the widow’s passionate appeal against that autopsy which was initially secured clandestinely from the Kaneshie Magistrate Court, Accra to be done on the 12th of July 2019 was eventually carried out on the High Chief as ordered by the High Court of Ghana on the 19th of July 2019. Dumo and his brothers participated in the autopsy and were represented by two renowned pathologists: Dr. Francis Adedayo Faduyile, the current President of the Nigerian Medical Association and renowned Ghanaian pathologist Professor Agyeman Akosa. To this day, none of them has disputed the position of the Ghanaian Military and Police that the autopsy was properly done. Since the brothers lost control to contrive and manipulate the outcome of the autopsy, Dumo has done everything possible to ensure its result is not released.
Things came to a head on the 23rd of December 2019 when in a ruling widely celebrated by Dumo Lulu-Briggs, Justice Kyei-Baffour of the High Court of Ghana declared among others that, *“IT IS NOW HEREBY FURTHER ORDERED*, that the 37 Military Hospital which conducted an autopsy on the body of the deceased, *High Chief (Dr.) Olu Benson Lulu-Briggs*, is to file the autopsy report at the Registry of the Court within three (3) days upon service of this Order on the Hospital.” The hospital complied with the ruling and filed within 3 days of the judgment having been served the Order on the very day of the judgment.

It therefore beggars belief that Dumo who called for the autopsy to ascertain the cause of death of his father and has fully participated in the investigations, including the autopsy, would turn around to block the release of the report. Why? Because he already knows it vindicates his stepmother whom he falsely accuses of the monumental crime of murder.

He denies appealing the judgment, meanwhile the attached court papers clearly show that he is lying to whip up public sentiment, sympathy and support. At the same time he is neck-deep in a sinister plot to hang an innocent woman whose only crime is agreeing to marry and lovingly care for his father and their family. Sadly, as the attached letters show, his father is also a man, he bitterly fought frontally for many years in the early 2000s in a bid to take over his wealth. The attached Will also shows that the High Chief in spite of his disappointment in his three eldest sons still provided eight million dollars as inheritance for them.

It remains to be seen how Dumo intends to subdue his stepmother by blackmailing her into giving him what his father, the widely admired High Chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs in his wisdom willed to his other children, grand-children and future generations. Dumo indeed underestimates the grace and endurance of a widow; one whose hands are clean and heart has always been pure.

REVEALED! DUMO’S GREATEST FEAR ABOUT FATHER’S AUTOPSY REPORT

On the 27th of December 2019 exactly a year after his father died, rather than hold a memorial in his honour as would have been ordinarily expected, Dumo Lulu-Briggs rather chose that day to file an appeal in Ghana to block the release of the report of an autopsy that he had called for in July 2019. In a petition written in April 2019 to the Nigerian Police and later to the Ghanaian Police, Dumo had maintained that an autopsy was necessary to establish the cause of death of his father, High Chief (Dr.) O. B. Lulu-Briggs. It was therefore surprising that a ‘biological’ son who should rather be glad that the autopsy he called for had been done in order to effectively put to rest the issue of the cause of death of his father, chose the very day of his father’s first memorial to block the release of the autopsy result.

Dumo Lulu-Briggs had falsely accused his stepmother and father’s widow of having a hand in the death of her 88-year-old husband to whom she was married for almost 20 years. His false accusations were the fall-outs of her refusal to set aside her husband’s Last Will and Testament even after personally conceding a fair share of her personal holdings to him and his siblings.

His plan to falsely hold her for murder was built around his bid to have a manipulated and sinister autopsy done in Accra, Ghana, where his father died. Of course his planned sinister autopsy did not provide for the representation or participation of his stepmother whom he accused of murder. Consequently, to protect herself from being a victim of Dumo’s sinister plot aimed at her and also guarantee the integrity of the planned autopsy; she went to Court and got it to determine the proper procedure for the autopsy among other demands. The Court did not only clearly ensure that the autopsy would be done by the Ghanaian Military, a neutral body, but also provided for two representative pathologists each for Dumo and herself to ensure their equitable and fair representation and involvement. The Court also ensured the autopsy was done under the close supervision of the Nigerian and Ghanaian Police, as well as the Interpol.

On the 16th of July 2019, four days after Dumo’s failed attempt at conducting a manipulated autopsy, the proper one was done according to standard. The Ghanaian Police confirmed in writing to Dumo thereafter that the autopsy was done according to International standard at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra, one of the few facilities in Africa with an ISO certification. One of Dumo’s representatives at the autopsy is the current President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Adedayo Faduyile who was physically present while the autopsy was done. To this day, he has not countered the position of either the Ghanaian Police, which monitored the autopsy or the Ghanaian Military that conducted it, both of which maintain that the autopsy was properly done. This is not to mention the corroboration by all other pathologists who witnessed the autopsy that it was properly done.

But in a rather strange twist, Dumo who called for the autopsy has blocked the release of the report to ensure that the truth that his father died of natural causes is not made public. Dumo chose the day that his father died as the perfect day to appeal against the court-ordered release of autopsy result, which he, himself, instigated. Dumo’s appeal is set to be heard in February 2020. It is obvious he has no intention of burying his father on January 25, 2020. Rather, he is desperately plotting to have another autopsy done to open up his father yet again for his selfish and wicked reasons; and surprisingly he does not deny it. He is determined to fabricate falsehood in his bid to indict his stepmother whom he sees as standing in his way of getting the prime access and control of his father’s estate.

High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs in his Last Will and Testament dated 2004, a few months after surviving four vicious legal battles in Abuja, Lagos, Houston (Texas) and London (UK) led by Dumo and his two brothers Senibo and Sofiri as well as their friends served them his own judgment. His judgment was in response to their failed bid to take over his company from him. They had done so, and gone as far as they could with their plot, in demand for their inheritance from him. In 2003 and 2004, therefore, after choosing to settle them with a total sum of $8 million he documented it in his Will as their inheritance as they had demanded. In his judgement, as he stated in his Last Will and Testament, he considered the amounts “to be reasonable and sufficient financial provisions made for my said eldest sons, and I hereby confirm that I re-iterate and maintain my position that, for the reasons specified in my side letter to my Will and in view of other events and incidents involving my said eldest sons and I, I have not made and shall not be making any further provisions for my said eldest sons whether in the form of inter vivos gift or in my testamentary depositions…”

Dumo, having suffered such a monumental self-inflicted loss and driven by an insatiable appetite for money, now sees his father’s passing as a good opportunity to re-start the same battle but this time with his father’s widow. The very woman, who loved, cared for and lived with his father for almost 20 years, which undoubtedly were some of his most priceless moments. Dumo sees his present battle as being the fight of his life; a battle he lost decades ago, yet still shadow boxing.

Unfortunately, if anyone is to bravely tell Dumo any truth at all, it is that his greatest fear has come upon him. His father’s Will has been read, Probate granted and effectively executed. The ship has sailed. As such, he has one duty and only one option: ‘bury your father’ or at least allow him to be buried by those who truly love him. Blocking the release of the autopsy report is an exercise in futility. It cannot hold for long.

Oraye St. Franklyn

Documents:
1) Copy of Dumo's appeal as applicant against the Autopsy result
2) Copy of letter from the Ghanian Police to Dumo on the condition the Autopsy according to standard

DUMO IS CERTAINLY NOW CONFUSED, WHOSE BODY DID HE DEPOSIT AT THE MORTUARY?

The latest statement by Dumo Lulu-Briggs that his stepmother has buried his father in March 2019 smacks of the grandest bout of self-induced confusion if not blatant and misleading mischief. High Chief Dr. O. B. Lulu-Briggs, one of the greatest philanthropist Nigeria has seen, who was so kind that he refused to reveal the inadequacies and sheer wickedness of his three eldest sons, truly does not deserve the treatment he is receiving from them.

If one is to take Dumo for his words today, then on whose body did he approach the Magistrate court in Ghana on the 12th of July 2019 to authorise an autopsy? That should be 4 months after he said his stepmother buried his father. Can Dumo please tell the world whose body he identified on 19th July 2019 at both the mortuary and at the 37 Military Hospital in Ghana before the autopsy he instigated and participated in was done? Is he saying his father was exhumed for that purpose? What could be responsible for this present confusion if not his deliberate unwillingness to bury his father? Dumo Lulu-Briggs now wants the world to believe that his stepmother buried his father in March 2019? Why? Who is he trying to fool?

Dumo was physically present on the 19th of July, 2019 when the autopsy he instigated and called for was done. He identified his father’s body at the 37 Military Hospital before the autopsy was done. He identified the same body at the mortuary after the autopsy was done. The whole family and their representative pathologists agreed on the autopsy. His representative pathologists were there. The autopsy was completed and the report filed in court. Whose body did he identify and sign back into the mortuary after the autopsy? Oh he refuses to tell the public that he signed back the body for keeps at the mortuary! Anyway he can’t deny that even though he has not reported this in the media. If his father has been buried whose body is he seeking to bury?

Since he now says his father was buried in March 2019 whose body is he fighting so desperately to gain custody of in Ghana? Whose body did he seek to obtain from the mortuary on the 27th of December 2019? Whose body did he say during his press conference that he would bring back to Nigeria on the 27th of December 2019 from the mortuary in Accra? Whose body is he falsely claiming in the media that his stepmother is refusing to release for burial? Whose body did the court order the Police and mortuary to release to the High Chief’s family and him Dumo, for which he threw a party in Accra?

If he has a problem with the Autopsy, the proper thing to do is for the family to call leading world experts to review the report. On December 27, 2019 he blocked the release of the report of the autopsy carried out on his father. He didn't report this and is denying it. His court papers are attached here. Why has Dumo gone to court to block the release of the report? Does he fear that the autopsy report will prove everything he said were lies! On September 6, 2019 Dumo Lulu-Briggs secured an order from the magistrates court in Accra, Ghana to carry out an inquest and a second autopsy on his father’s body. He has reported this development in the media. On whose body does he intend to have the second autopsy done since his father has been buried in March 2019? Oh Dumo oh!

Since according to him his father was buried in March, why is he seeking another autopsy on a body he now claims is not his father’s and blocking the release of the first autopsy report, which he instigated, called for, participated in and agreed to? Oh Dumo! Dumo should stop his shenanigans and bury his father on January 25, 2020. He should stop making cheap digs at the family and maligning his father’s legacy.

The Chief was such a great man, who loved his community and Nigeria. It is disrespectful that after all of this time he has not been laid to rest. He was an honourable, loving philanthropist and would never have behaved like this. Dumo should rather have chosen to walk in the legacy of his father, close ranks with his own family members and bury his father. He should stop the excuses and bury his father. He should lay his father to rest.

Oraye St. Franklyn
Spokesman, Dr. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs


(Attachment 1) DUMO LULU-BRIGGS AT THE MORTUARY RETURNING HIS FATHER’S BODY AFTER THE AUTOPSY ON THE 19TH OF JULY 2019, WHICH SHOULD BE FOUR MONTHS AFTER HE CLAIMS HIS FATHER HAD BEEN BURIED.

( Attachment 2-4) COURT DOCUMENTS SHOWING DUMO’S APPEAL AGAINST THE RELEASE OF THE AUTOPSY REPORT DONE ON HIS ‘FATHER’.

FIDA Rivers Pledges Support For Dr. Mrs. Seinye Lulu Briggs, Says Rights Of Widows Must Be Protected

The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Rivers chapter has said that they are seriously in solidarity with Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu Briggs the widow of High Chief O. B. Lulu Briggs.

This was contained in a statement signed by the FIDA Chairperson, Ngozi Odukwe Ighosevbe and the Secretary, Esther Mabadeje seen by TheNigerialawyer(TNL).

Dr. Mrs. Seinye was earlier accused by her stepson Dumo, of having hands in the death of her husband and went as far as conducting a murder inquiry to know how his father died on the plane.
Making reference to both local and International Laws Rivers FIDA noted that assertions no matter how grave remain unfounded until proven and cannot in any way stop a woman/widow from her legitimate rights.

Read the statement:

“Every citizen of Nigeria which includes women generally are by our constitution and all other Acts and laws in force in Nigeria duly entitled to their fundamental human rights.

“Women’s rights are human rights. Women experience different forms and degrees of violation of their rights every second because of their vulnerability in society.

“The inalienable rights of women are often subjected to ridicule, restrictions, extensive abuse and violations.

“These subjugation and oppression hinder their effective participation in society. The customary, religious and societal norms and practices inherent in the society militate against the freedom and rights of women.

“The violations of the rights of women come in diverse forms which include but not limited to the dehumanizing practices and discriminatory acts which most times affect the widow at the death of the husband. Assertions no matter how grave remain unfounded until proven and cannot in any way stop a woman/widow from her legitimate rights.

“We also remind us of international instruments on Human Rights that touch on women’s rights and other laws in force Nigeria for the protection of widows rights. Most recently, the Rivers State House of Assembly made a commendable amendment to the Dehumanizing Harmful Traditional Practices law in Rivers State.

“All these pieces of legislation speak volumes on the protection of the rights of women and children.

“It is on this background that FIDA Rivers State branch has in the last one year watched with keen interest the unfolding events and the public outcry of Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu Briggs the widow of High Chief O. B. Lulu Briggs relating to the death and burial arrangements of her husband.

“FIDA Rivers reiterates her stand for the promotion, protection, and preservation of rights of women and shall stand by all women whose rights are violated or is likely to be violated.

“We once again condole with Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu Briggs the widow of High Chief O. B. Lulu Briggs as we stand in solidarity for the protection of her rights in all events and activities relating to her late husband’s death and burial.

https://thenigerialawyer.com/fida-rivers-pledges-support-for-dr-mrs-seinye-lulu-briggs-says-rights-of-widows-must-be-protected/?fbclid=IwAR1WxlnbqCQMoD9M0oBdUuOqaF7skM0WUeR-M5wzNx-43maF82D8SVPIQPQ

O. B. LULU-BRIGGS: 25TH JANUARY BURIAL DATE ACHIEVABLE SAYS WIDOW

Dr. Mrs Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs, widow of High Chief Dr. O. B. Lulu-Briggs has responded to the alleged cancellation of her husband’s January 25, 2020 burial date which was announced by her son Dumo and the family Chiefs last month. She believes that the burial is still achievable because the pre-conditions which the Ghana High Court ordered Dumo to fulfill before by the release of his father’s body for burial by the Ghanaian police and the mortuary are not difficult. She clarifies that she was not ordered to release the body of her husband as Dumo falsely claims in the media. The order according to her and as contained in the judgement of the High Court of Ghana was directed at both the Ghanaian Police and the mortuary who have custody of the body.

Dr. Mrs Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs believes that Dumo’s hurried and unilateral cancellation of the burial of his father for the fourth time is indicative of his unwillingness to lay him to rest. She however maintains that the cancellation is unnecessary and that the excuse that her appeal of the High Court Judgement is responsible for the postponement is untrue and grossly misleading.

Dr. Mrs Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs repeats that her appeal was made because Dumo without fulfilling any of the three pre-conditions imposed on him by the Court Judgement had gone to the mortuary to pick up the body of her husband in the company of her supposed nominated representatives none of whom she knew, authorized or whose identities she could verify. She views that action as desperation taken too far and part of a sinister plot to obtain the body of her husband in order to wickedly tear it open yet again in the guise of conducting a private autopsy; a sinister autopsy that would fabricate false evidence supporting Dumo’s contrived allegation of her killing her 88 year old husband whom she cared for and loved for more than 2 decades.

Dumo Lulu-Briggs was ordered by the High Court of Ghana to give the following binding, unconditional undertakings:

1. “That the delegation led by Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs that will convey the body of the deceased to Nigeria, should include two representatives of the Plaintiff/Widow, who should be part of the delegation that will convey the body to Nigeria;

2. ”That the family of the deceased, led by Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, will give a binding unconditional undertaking that, under no circumstance will the family allow or suffer the Plaintiff/Widow to undergo any cruel, inhumane or barbaric customary practices in Nigeria, when the body is conveyed;

3. “That the family, led by Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, will further undertake that the Plaintiff/Widow will be ably represented in the burial and funeral preparations, and will be allowed to play her role as a widow mourning her deceased husband.”

The court went further to order the filing of the report of the autopsy done on the deceased, which has been complied with. But the release of the filed autopsy report is now being blocked by an appeal by Dumo Lulu-Briggs. To what end, she asks. Possibly because Dumo does not wish the public to know that the filed autopsy report clearly stated that the High Chief Dr. O. B. Lulu-Briggs died of natural causes.

Dr. Mrs Seinye Lulu-Briggs maintains her earlier assurance that should Dumo fulfill the above stated binding, unconditional undertakings imposed on him by the High Court of Ghana and allow the release of the report of the duly conducted autopsy on his father, which he instigated; she would withdraw her appeal against the judgment. Nevertheless, she questions the motive behind obtaining the body for burial without any clear burial plan. In her view, custody of the body is not necessary in planning the burial. She says that the blocking of the release of the report of the duly conducted autopsy, as well as the call for another autopsy by Dumo Lulu-Briggs, confirm her position that he is desperate to obtain the body because of his sinister motives and not necessarily for burial.

Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs recalls that Dumo Lulu-Briggs approached both the Police and a Magistrate Court in Ghana to organize an autopsy that did not provide representation for her, whom he falsely accused of killing her 88 year old husband. To legally and legitimately protect herself and ensure the autopsy process was fair to all Parties involved (ie. both the accused and the accuser), she approached the High Court to ensure the autopsy process provided and guaranteed representation for her, her accuser Dumo Lulu-Briggs, the Nigerian Police, the Ghanaian Police and Interpol; and it was done. Dr. Mrs Seinye Lulu- Briggs, Dumo Lulu-Briggs and the Ghanaian government had two representative pathologists each. The President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Adedayo Faduyile, was one of Dumo’s representative Pathologists. To this day none of all the six Pathologists involved in the autopsy procedure, including Dumo’s representatives, has queried the process which was conducted by the Ghanaian Military at the 37 Military Hospital in Ghana. The Ghanaian Police in a letter (see attachment) responding to a needless written protest by Dumo against the autopsy even while it was ongoing, given that it wasn’t being done as he would have wanted (ie. as a private autopsy) confirmed to him in writing thereafter that the autopsy was done according to the set standard.

Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs is of the firm belief that the reason Dumo is desperately clamoring for his private autopsy is to manipulate the outcome in order to procure a false report to use as the compelling tool in forcing her to set aside her husband’s last wishes as contained in his Last Will and Testament. Dr. Mrs Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs states clearly that she maintains both her innocence and unpreparedness to set aside her husband’s last wishes as contained in his Last Will and Testament. Further, she states categorically that upon compliance with the three preconditions of the Ghanaian High Court order by Dumo and the release of the autopsy report, the 25th of January burial date as announced by Dumo and the Chiefs of Briggs compound is still very achievable. She says she wants her husband buried and that he should be buried on the 25th of January, 2020.

Oraye St. Franklyn
Spokesman, Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs

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O. B. LULU-BRIGGS FOUNDATION CELEBRATE THE ELDERLY AT NEW YEAR

The O. B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation held its annual New Year Party for Senior Citizens at the Foundation’s Biokpo Recreational Center for the Elderly in Abonnema. Speaking during the event, the Chairman Board of Trustees of the O. B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation, Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu- Briggs said the Annual New Year Party for Senior Citizens is organized under the auspices of the Care for Life Programme, the Foundation’s flagship program which has been supporting vulnerable elderly people across Rivers State since 2001.

Dr. Mrs Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs, who was represented at the event by the Executive Secretary of the O. B. Lulu- Briggs Foundation, Ms Dakoru Okujagu, expressed her thanks to the beneficiaries for the kind messages she and her family had received since her beloved husband, High Chief Dr. O.B. Lulu-Briggs, OON, DCF, DSSRS, Iniikeiroari V, translated to glory just over a year ago. “Most especially, I appreciate the prayers. They have greatly comforted and strengthened our family particularly in the face of the internal strife we are passing through. We trust God that in His time our Opuda’s body will be laid to rest,” She said.

Speaking further, Mrs Seinye Lulu-Briggs said the annual New Year Party for treasured senior citizens was the first and most special of the foundation’s annual programme of activities. According to her, “Through it we demonstrate the importance of what our mission to serve and cater for the under-served means. We make sure we promote a sense of belonging amongst the aged members of our communities by honoring and celebrating them, even as the programme takes care of their material and spiritual needs. Since the establishment of the Foundation in 2001, we have hosted this event on New Year’s Day to ensure that we usher in every new year in a celebratory and joyful manner with the blessings of our senior citizens.
“As many of you know, the O.B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation began its operations in 2001 with the ‘Care for Life’ Programme. Its mandate is to provide holistic care for senior citizens who want to remain active and independent after retiring from service in their chosen professions, many of whom lack the economic or social resources to take proper care of themselves, and/or whose families lack the financial means to care for them.

“The programme provides healthcare, care giver visits, monthly food supplies/or a daily feeding programme, monthly cash stipends, clothing, spiritual care, and social events (such as today’s party). These services are provided directly to the beneficiaries at their homes and at our purpose built Biokpo Recreational Center. Our goal was to build a community of support that empowers and upholds the elders covered in the programme to live fearlessly in dignity, safety and peace, enjoying due recognition, love and respect across the community free from abuse, neglect, criticism, discrimination or victimization. Presently, the Care for Life Programme covers 120 beneficiaries from 10 communities in Rivers State, namely: Abonnema, Abua, Buguma, Etche, Illelema, Krakrama, Obonoma, Okpo, Port Harcourt and Tema.”

Beneficiaries of the Care for Life Programme, who were all adorned in beautiful clothes and had a great time of praise, worship and celebration also thanked the O. B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation for consistently caring for them. “What the Foundation has been doing for us is fine. We are thankful. Let nothing be able to stop it so it can be forever,” said Pa Robert Ajumogobia Bestman, one of the beneficiaries of the Care For Life Programme.

Pastor Princess Emmanuel delivered the homily during the event, which had as its high point the cutting of the New Year cake by the beneficiaries of the Care for Life Programme.

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REVEALED! WHY DUMO LULU-BRIGGS IS AFTER HIS STEP MOTHER

The outrageous publication published on Facebook on December 30, 2019 at 12:20pm and circulated in the media by Uche Woke (who goes by the sobriquet: Uchman Dela Rosa on Facebook), a media aide to Dumo Lulu- Briggs alleging that Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs murdered her husband, smuggled his remains to Ghana and deposited same in Ghana in the absence of his children is a false and malicious publication that defames her. She and her husband were on the trip to Ghana on the said date December 27, 2018 with two of his sons and a host of other persons. She believes that it is shameful that a chief would allow his media aide to refer to his father as dead at a time he knew he was well alive.

The said publication (https://www.facebook.com/100000305836627/posts/2874646485888851/? d=n) further states that the widow of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs went to court to stop the children of the deceased from accessing the body of their father, her husband, for burial; that “she hurriedly organized an autopsy without following all the lawful procedures and guidelines meant to guarantee transparency that was ordered by the court”; that being “concerned about wealth, she read a certain 'Will' before burial, relocating companies and packing properties belonging to O. B. Lulu- Briggs to unknown destinations.”

Dr. Mrs. Seinye Lulu-Briggs categorically states that all of the above allegations in the said publication are untrue and part of a wicked plot by her son Dumo Lulu-Briggs to cast her in bad light and stigmatize her person as a wicked widow with the primary aim of rubbishing her husband's legacy and undermining his Last Will and Testaments.

Dr. Mrs. Seinye Lulu-Briggs recalls that the trauma suffered by High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs in standing in the dock as an accused person, watching his son and friends prosecute him for fraud and trying to wrestle the company he founded from him over 2 decades ago, was enough to have killed him. Fortunately, the great man survived that, including serial heart attacks, lived for many years after and continues to live on today in the hearts of those who love him.

Dr. Mrs. Seinye Lulu-Briggs is amazed at the character of a son who gives share transfer documents to his father who at the time was battling a heart attack in order for the ill man to sign over his shares to the son as he (the father) was being rushed overseas for treatment. What other purpose could that have been for other than in anticipation of his father’s death? She is further amazed at the audacity of the son who would later refuse to handover the share transfer documents back to his father when God saved him and he survived the heart attack. For the High Chief to have survived that heart attack could reasonably have been quite upsetting for the conspiring sons as it complicated their plans. Perhaps, it is the same reason the son saw, addressed and consented to his aides address his own father as being dead while he was still alive.

Beyond taking the necessary legal action to protect herself against the serial, ill conceited acts of libel and defamation by acolytes of her son Dumo Lulu- Briggs, she wishes to reiterate the following
1. Her husband, High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs, died in Accra, Ghana, on the 27th of December, 2018 shortly after arriving for his annual vacation.

2. All seven Children of the High Chief were at the mortuary on the 29th of December, 2019. Thereafter the family including Dumo saw their father’s body at least two times. Dumo has not denied that he arranged with the managers of the mortuary to make a casket with which to convey the body of his father for burial. He and his elder brother, Senibo, returned to the mortuary and inspected the casket that was delivered there.

3. The allegation that Dr. Mrs. Seinye Lulu-Briggs killed her husband, High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs, began after she was threatened by Dumo Lulu-
Briggs, her stepson, right before his Pastor that if she didn’t give him four legacy assets namely: Moni Pulo Limited, Sombriero House (her matrimonial home), Rachael Hotel and the O. B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation he would go public with an allegation against her that she killed her husband.

4. Dr. Mrs. Seinye Lulu-Briggs told Dumo Lulu-Briggs that he knew she didn’t kill her husband and that what he wanted would mean setting aside her husband’s Will. She reiterates that told him she had no powers to do so, that moreover the Will provided for the well-being of his Children, grandchildren and future generations, of whom Dumo’s first son, is the only grandchild mentioned by name and bequeathed with a property in the Will. She however agreed to gift 50% of her shares in Moni Pulo Limited to all seven children of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs, which Dumo demanded for himself alone. He accepted the offer and later declined it in writing.

5. Dr. Mrs. Seinye Lulu-Briggs also told Dumo that most of his father’s assets were bequeathed to a Trust that he had set up by himself during his lifetime. As such, she had no powers to cancel the Trust and or redistribute the said properties as Dumo would have wished.

6. Failing to satisfy his untoward and unreasonable demands, Dumo Lulu- Briggs wrote a petition to the Nigerian police falsely alleging that she killed her husband.

7. Dumo Lulu-Briggs approached both the Police and a Magistrate Court in Ghana to organize an autopsy that did not provide representation for Dr. Mrs. Seinye Lulu-Briggs, who is accused of murdering her 88 year old husband.

8. To protect herself and ensure the autopsy process was fair to all Parties involved, ie. both the accused and the accuser, she went to court to ensure the autopsy process provided and guaranteed representation for her, her accuser Dumo Lulu-Briggs, the Nigerian Police and the Ghanaian Police and it was done.

9. Dr. Mrs Seinye Lulu-Briggs and Dumo Lulu-Briggs had two representative pathologists each. The President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Adedayo Faduyile, was one of Dumo’s representative Pathologists. To this day none of all the six Pathologists involved in the autopsy, including Dumo’s representatives, has queried the process which was conducted by the Ghanaian Military at the 37 Military Hospital in Ghana.

10. The Ghanaian Police in a letter responding to a needless protest by Dumo Lulu-Briggs given that the process didn’t go as he would have wanted (ie. as a private autopsy) confirmed to him that the autopsy was done according to the set standard.

11. The autopsy report is now being blocked by Dumo Lulu-Briggs from being released. He has instituted an appeal against its release.

12. Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs has not moved a single property to any unknown location and has no need to do such.

13. Dr. Mrs. Seinye has no desire to stop the burial of her husband. Her appeal against the judgment that ordered the Ghanaian Police and the mortuary to release her husband’s corpse for burial was because Dumo went to obtain the body without complying with any of the pre-conditions imposed on him by the court. She maintains that if he complies with the Court-ordered pre-conditions, her appeal will be withdrawn.

14. Dumo Lulu-Briggs was ordered by the court to give the following binding unconditional undertakings: “That the delegation led by Chief Dumo Lulu- Briggs that will convey the body of the deceased to Nigeria, should include two representatives of the Plaintiff/Widow, who should be part of the delegation that will convey the body to Nigeria; ”That the family of the deceased, led by Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, will give a binding unconditional undertaking that, under no circumstance will the family allow or suffer the Plaintiff/Widow to undergo any cruel, inhumane or barbaric customary practices in Nigeria, when the body is conveyed; “That the family, led by Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, will further undertake that the Plaintiff/Widow will be ably represented in the burial and funeral preparations, and will be allowed to play her role as a widow mourning her deceased husband.” The court went further to order the filing of the report of the autopsy done on the deceased, which has been done. But the release is being blocked by an appeal by Dumo Lulu-Briggs.

15. On the 3rd of June 2019 Moni Pulo was invaded by the Police based on a false petition written by Dumo Lulu-Briggs. Workers were assaulted and properties were destroyed in the cause of the invasion. The operation was reminiscent of a similar invasion of the Company by Dumo Lulu-Briggs in 2002 during the lifetime of his father, High Chief O. B. Lulu- Briggs. The company has now taken measures to ensure such an action is never repeated and that staff of the company receive the protection and safety they deserve in an environment that guarantees it.

It is important to state the above for the proper understanding of the reading public. Mrs Seinye Lulu-Briggs now aged over 60 years loved, lived with and cared for her husband for over 2 decades. He passed on at 88 years having survived many near-death scares. It is unthinkable that anyone, much less, a son she also loved as a son, would accuse her of killing her husband, simply because he wishes to have what wasn’t given to him. She is being framed in the mould of a wicked African stepmother and maliciously stigmatized for simply being a woman lacking the right to own or inherit property. If she, being human can be this vilified without committing any crime whatsoever, what then could have happened to dogs and cats that inherit property from their owners in other climes if they were in Nigeria?

Oraye St. Franklyn
Spokesman, Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs

It has often been said that Dumo Lulu-Briggs has no intention to bury his father. His latest authorized response to the false claims he made against his stepmother in relation to the Ghanaian High Court Judgment which ordered the release of his fathers body to his family for burial proves it. While Dumo Lulu Briggs threw a Party over the judgment which he considered favourable to him, he lied and misinformed the public that the court had ordered his stepmother to release the body of his father for burial. Whereas what the court did was to order the mortuary and the police to release the body upon the fulfillment of pre-conditions placed by it on Dumo Lulu-Briggs, which he bluntly refuses to comply with.

In his authorized response this morning Dumo said, “Even though Mrs Seinye Lulu-Briggs published in the media that she supports the January burial date for her husband, it looks [like] her recent actions have jeopardized he burial arrangements which had been been previously announced to hold on the 25th January 2020, because the family of the Late High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs cannot plan the burial of their beloved patriarch without having custody of his mortal remains in Nigeria.”

His statement is an incontrovertible confirmation and confession that he will not bury his father as has been said time and again. The court ordered Dumo to involve his stepmother in the planning and execution of the burial of her husband, his father. Rather than comply with that, Dumo, who unilaterally fixed and announced his father’s fourth burial date after cancelling three previous ones, lies in the media about his inability to get his stepmother to agree with him on burial plans.

For the avoidance of doubt, Dumo has not reached out to his stepmother, Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs on planning the burial of her husband, his father. His release of the screenshot of a fake message sent to an unknown number in the name of his stepmother is aimed at misleading the public as usual. He knows how to reach his stepmother. She reached out to him only a couple of weeks ago on the use of his father’s house in Abonnema I’m hosting friends during the burial of Chief Ibim Young Briggs. She got the house cleaned and chilled for him and his guests. He has a line of communication to her and did not use it; only to go public with falsehood about reaching out to her without getting a response from her in his continuous bid to demonize her.

Dumo has no intention to bury his father. If he did, the burial plans would begin in earnest as the court ordered. The body of his father is not needed for the planning of the burial. The preconditions for release of the body as imposed by the court on Dumo have not been met by him. These are signs of his unwillingness to bury his father. His statement today also amounts to a unilateral postponement of the burial even without carrying out any of the orders imposed on him by the court. The reason he needs the body without a burial plan is to enable him conduct a sinister autopsy to enable him obtain contrived evidence to attach a charge of murder on her. That is the only reason he wants the body. That is the reason he has no burial plan and is unwilling to have one. It is the same reason he has appealed against the release of the report of the credible autopsy done on his father by the Ghanaian Military. His antics are known. He wants her out of the way so he can effectively set aside his father’s will and do as he pleases with his father’s estate just as he had tried and failed during his father’s lifetime.

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The claim by Mr. Dumo Lulu-Briggs that a Ghanaian High Court ordered his stepmother Dr. Mrs. Seinye Lulu-Briggs to release the corpse of her husband is clearly false and a fake news. Mr. Dumo who has been widely reported in the media to be laughing last on account of his ‘favourable’ Ghanaian High Court judgement is clearly and deliberately misleading the public.

The Judgement delivered by Justice Kyei Baffour, which is herein attached, did not at any point, part or section order Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs to release the body of her husband. Rather, the Court ordered the Mortuary and the Ghanaian Police to release the body of the deceased to the family for burial. Dumo, on his part, was directly ordered to fulfill three pre-conditions before the body can be released for burial. So far he has failed to do so.

Dumo Lulu-Briggs was ordered by the court to give the following binding unconditional undertakings: “That the delegation led by Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs that will convey the body of the deceased to Nigeria, should include two representatives of the Plaintiff/Widow, who should be part of the delegation that will convey the body to Nigeria

“That the family of the deceased, led by Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, will give a binding unconditional undertaking that, under no circumstance will the family allow or suffer the Plaintiff/Widow to undergo any cruel, inhumane or barbaric customary practices in Nigeria, when the body is conveyed.

“That the family, led by Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, will further undertake that the Plaintiff/Widow will be ably represented in the burial and funeral preparations, and will be allowed to play her role as a widow mourning her deceased husband.” The court went further to order the filing of the report of the autopsy done on the deceased, which has been done.

Rather than comply with these pre-conditions, Dumo is circumventing the process by appealing against the release of the autopsy report. Mr. Dumo Lulu-Briggs has made and continues to make several attempts to obtain the body of his father without fulfilling any of the three preconditions imposed by the Court for burial. On the strength of this, Dr. Mrs. Seinye Lulu-Briggs appealed against the Court Judgement in order to stop Dumo from tearing open his father’s body yet again for his own sinister autopsy and use his already concocted and contrived result as the basis to attach his prepared charge of murder against her. This is why Dumo has appealed against the release of the autopsy result duly carried out by the Ghanaian Military.

The report of the autopsy which Dumo was part of, will clearly show the cause of death of his father; something he has always demanded. Dumo himself instigated the autopsy done on his father and was part of the entire process. He had two representative pathologists during the exercise just like his stepmother did. One of his representative pathologists was Dr. Adedayo Faduyile, the current President of the Nigerian Medical Association. Both the Nigerian and Ghanaian Police were involved in the autopsy procedure. None of all these people, including Dumo’s representatives has said either privately or publicly that the autopsy was not properly done. In fact, the Ghanaian Police whom Dumo protested to after the autopsy, wrote to him that it was done according to the set standard.

In appealing against the release of the autopsy report and seeking to carry out another autopsy done on his terms, Dumo intends to further desecrate the body of a man he never loved and in whose lifetime he made every conceivable effort to forcefully take ownership and control of his businesses. Opposing the release of the said autopsy report clearly shows he is not prepared to bury his father as has been said time and again.

Oraye St. Franklyn
Spokesman, Dr. Mrs. O. B. Lulu-Briggs

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REMEMBERING HIGH CHIEF (DR.) O. B. LULU-BRIGGS, OON, DCF, DSSRS: AN EVENING OF HYMNS & PSALMS

Dr Mrs Seinye O.B. Lulu-Briggs hosted family and friends who convened from far and near in loving memory of her beloved husband, the nationalist statesman High Chief Dr. O. B. Lulu-Briggs. on Friday the 27th of December 2019 for an Evening of Hymns and Psalms. The event took place at the Chapel of God, within the grounds of his Port Harcourt home, Sombriero home.

Remembering High Chief Dr O.B. Lulu-Briggs an Evening of Hymns and Psalms, which was held to commemorate the first anniversary of his passing in Accra, Ghana, saw melodious renditions from a special edition of, Favourite Hymns and Psalms of His Majesty, King (Dr.) Dandeson Douglas jaja, JP, Jeki V, Treaty King and Natural Ruler of Opobo Kingdom, the Chairman of Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers. His Majesty who was a bosom friend of the High Chief was gracefully present at the event.

Also in attendance, representing the Kalabari Council of Chiefs were Chief Ogonoye John West, Chief T. M. Ebbi, Chief Ibalabo Abbiye-Suku and Chief Fiworiso CPD Amachree.

Other respected dignitaries at the event included, His Royal Highness Eze Anthony Akarolo, the Amanganda of Rebisi Kingdom, along with his wife Mrs. Priscilla Akarolo, His Royal Highness, Mene Suanu Timothy Baridam King of Bangha and Chairman, Conference of Ogoni Traditional Rulers and His Royal Highness Alaiyi T. Tom West
Paramount Head of Elebike Group of Houses.

Mr. Francis Bruce, a longtime friend and ally of the departed and Bara Igoniwari-Brown, one of his former staff spoke glowingly about his leadership, generousity, wisdom, decency, loyalty, kindness and large heartedness.

His daughter, Mrs Solate Ovunda Akarolo, welcomed the guests on behalf of her mother, Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs and the O. B. Lulu-Briggs family. According to her, “It feels just like yesterday. However, we know that soon after that his family has been shaken to its core, but it has remained resolute in trusting in God for protection and guidance. And God Almighty has been faithful, merciful and kind. We thank Him for his grace upon us. And we know that in God’s time our father’s body will be laid to rest.”

The Chapel of God International Choir led the guests in the renditions of Hymns and Psalms and the quintessential Karibi George held sway as the Master of Ceremonies.

Oraye St. Franklyn
Spokesman, Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs

Remembering High Chief (Dr.) O.B. Lulu-Briggs, OON, DCF, DSSRS
December 27, 2019

Exactly a year ago today, my beloved husband, our father, grandfather, and great grandfather High Chief (Dr.) O.B. Lulu-Briggs, OON, DCF, DSSRS, our treasured patriarch, our greatly admired Chief, translated into glory.

I believe in St Paul’s teaching to the Christians at Thessalonica which states that:

‘13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.’
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 King James Version

This was a passage my husband and I invariably turned to whenever we felt overcome by the painful loss of loved ones. My husband was a Christian who always trusted in God and drew fresh insights, inspiration and comfort from reading his bible daily.

One of the happiest days of his life was the day he gave his life to Christ and subsequently, led the entire Chapel of God congregation that day to the river at Etche for his baptism in keeping with what he had read in the Acts of the Apostles-

“37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”
Acts 2: 37-41, KJV

My husband was a man of many seasons. And he was exceedingly blessed with success in each of his seasons. Through them all his indomitable characteristics remained constant. He was honest, kind, loving and generous. Curious, energetic, hardworking, disciplined and meticulous. He was fair, firm and focused. He was a perennial optimist, jovial and amiable. He was a humble and contented man.

Like most of us, my doting husband was often misunderstood. He was underestimated on several occasions, and he told many stories of people trying to cheat him. Through all those vexing times, he stood on the truth and stuck to his principles. As a result, by the grace of God, he was able to hold his head up and pass on without blemish on his good name.

There is so much good to learn from the way he went about his life: his love of humanity; the manner in which he was clear about the fact that he had a central role to play in looking after others and his community.

There are many, many heartening memories to remember about Opuda. And it is those memories and what I learnt from him, from his implicit faith in God, from his fearlessness, from the way he understood human nature and still showed love and cared, and from the way he conducted his business, that and so much more have sustained me and our children this past year.

My husband died peacefully in Accra, Ghana on December 27, 2018, exactly one year today. The day before he had presided over a family thanksgiving in Abonnema with such aplomb! I recall how he personally oversaw the disbursement of his year-end gifts, waiting until all the distinguished Chiefs and guests had received their parcels and gone home very pleased before ‘closing’ for the day. Typical Chief. He loved to get things done, especially when it meant doing good for others. And he always took responsibility and saw things through to their logical end.

It’s been a year full of upheaval within our family. Through it all we have stayed true to the Christian values and principles that the High Chief espoused and lived by. There is really no need for us not to have laid him to rest. But in all things we give Glory, thanks and praise to God Almighty. We stand on His Word and on the promises He has made to us, His adoring children. We trust Him.

Indeed, a year has flown by since our patriarch passed on. All nostalgic thoughts are as sweet and as good as he was in his lifetime. Words do not fully express how so dearly we miss him. We, however, remember him today with joy as we have from the day he translated into Glory.

We deeply appreciate and are greatly comforted by the outpouring of love, prayers and support we have been enveloped in since his passing. To God be the glory.

In a publication done on behalf of embattled Dumo Lulu-Briggs in response to his step mother, whom he described as the ‘black widow of Rivers State’, a document he didn’t have the courage to ascribe to a named author, he claimed that Chief Nabo Graham-Douglas was kept 10 days at Ashes to Ashes morgue after arriving from London before being buried. The statement was meant to contradict his stepmother’s position that the deceased was flown directly to Kalabari Land for burial.

It is important that she doesn’t join issues with him. Chief Nabo Graham-Douglas passed on in 1983. In 1983 Ashes to Ashes which Dumo refers to as having the records of his father being in their custody was not in existence then. One is hoping the reference to its existence is not substance induced.

His step mother whom he authorizes to be called a black widow also made reference to late Chief Ibim Young Briggs being flown in from abroad and buried about a day after. His burial was presided over by Dumo just a few weeks ago in Abonnema. Dumo completely ignores that perhaps because it is fresh in the memory of all. Could this be the result of selective amnesia?

Chief Dumo should not disrespect the Chiefs of Oruwari Briggs Council of Chiefs. They have not forgotten who procured travel passports for them to proceed to Ghana in March 2019, which he Dumo stopped by the postponement of the burial then scheduled for April 2019.

It is good that Dumo has also acknowledged that he is disputing the last Will and Testament of His Father. His father whom we know had a troubled relationship with him anticipated it and left a side letter that should now be read, as he instructed. Perhaps the issue of paternity can be laid to rest, who knows?

On Dumo’s serial effort to disclaim other children of his father, he needs some tutoring on Kalabari Culture in that regard. His father adopted the biological children of his wife as his own. He did that when he performed the customary Iya on them as he did for Dumo and Sofiri who are products of women he did not marry. That Iya rite is what gives Dumo the right he claims today. It is the same Iya rite that gives the other children the rights they have. By Kalabari Tradition they have as much right as he has in their father’s house. Dumo’s attempt to disclaim them is of no effect. The assets he is desperate to possess are not his, they belong to a man who has decided how they should be distributed after his passing. Dumo is clearly not interested in that. He wants to solely determine how that is done over and above the powers of the owner. It is unacceptable. He owes his father burial. We are tired! We are tired of Dumo and his antics.

Victor Briggs

Source: https://www.nairaland.com/5582909/dumo-needs-rein-himself-respectfully

Emerson195:
the man is worth more than $300m. he was Richer than the late Lulu Briggs.

I know Tonye cole and the Lulu-Briggs family closely.....Trust me when I say Lulu-Briggs is far more richer

.

I SUPPORT JANUARY BURIAL DATE FOR MY HUSBAND AND BURIAL PLAN AGREED BY OUR FAMILY – SEINYE LULU-BRIGGS

I was very pleased to read in the media that my son Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs has announced January 25, 2020, for the interment of our beloved patriarch, High Chief Dr O.B. Lulu-Briggs, OON, DCF, DSSRS. This marks the third time that a date has been chosen for my husband’s burial and it has taken nine months since the last date was cancelled for us to reach this position. Nevertheless, it is a very welcome development and all hands must be on deck to ensure there is no further shift in date.

Dumo credits me for being the one who has delayed my own husband’s funeral, but nothing could be further from the truth. Since my husband’s demise, I have consistently called for his burial while taking all the necessary steps required to facilitate our patriarch’s burial. But I have been limited in my ability to act because of the roles assigned to each family member by tradition in cases such as this.

Immediately after my husband’s translation to glory, myself and all our children, Senibo, Dumo, Sofiri, Solate, Rachael, Dateim, and Iyowuna, convened at our home in Accra. After paying respects to his mortal remains, we elaborated plans for his funeral in conjunction with the Chiefs of Oruwari Briggs War Canoe House. Dumo was the go-between. Indeed, he and his brother Senibo commissioned and paid for a casket to transport their father’s body home.

It was the Oruwari Briggs Council of Chiefs, in their wisdom, that came up with the idea that my husband’s body did not need to be brought to Nigeria until plans had been concluded for his interment. The funeral was initially set for January 26, 2019; then moved to April 6, 2019 and eventually cancelled by Dumo unilaterally. Since then, my husband’s body has been in the mortuary awaiting a burial date and this is not against Kalabari culture.

The earthly remains of the renowned jurist of blessed memory Chief Nabo Graham-Douglas arrived Kalabari land from London on the day of his funeral. Just a few weeks ago, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, himself, superintended over the funeral of Chief Ibim Young Briggs who died in faraway America. Chief Ibim’s earthly remains were flown into Nigeria from Houston, Texas for his interment after all arrangement in Abonnema had been concluded. Since it was not a Kalabari cultural taboo to fly their remains from abroad on the day of their funeral, we shall therefore stick to our initial plan of bringing my husband’s body home on the date of burial as the chiefs had directed.

It should also be noted that it is not in line with age long Kalabari customs for Dumo and the Oruwari Briggs Council of Chiefs to go to Accra, Ghana to receive our patriarch’s body. It is my husband’s immediate family, comprising his siblings in his mother’s house, his cousins and his children who are expected to go to the mortuary and retrieve his body for the homeward journey. On their return home, the Kalabari Council of Chiefs would receive the body and lead the procession - with other paramount rulers and chiefs of Kalabari Kingdom - to Oruwari Briggs compound in Abonnema. My husband’s body would then be received by the acting Head of the Oruwari Briggs compound, signifying the beginning of his obsequies.

The Oruwari Briggs Compound Chiefs cannot be going to Accra, Ghana in the name of the same Kalabari tradition to receive the High Chief’s body. Is it not a taboo in Kalabari land for chiefs to retrieve corpses from mortuaries?

Curiously, this and other news announced by my son are said to be the position taken by Chiefs and members of the family. To the best of my knowledge, Dumo did not contact any of his siblings nor was I extended the common courtesy of being informed of these developments. I read about them just like the general public. But be that as it may, I am grateful that we now have a date to work with.

One cannot but wonder why Chief Dumo wants his father’s earthly remains brought to Nigeria weeks before his interment.

I don’t have the answer, but I await the outcome of the intervention brokered by His Excellency, the Governor of Rivers State in his appeal to the Amayanabo of Abonnema. In my view such a call would not have been necessary had the Oruwari Briggs Council of Chiefs risen to the occasion and showed leadership and forthrightness in the first place. Their recent television appearance calling for the release of the earthly remains of their paramount head was unnecessary. And their stated position and the call to well-meaning persons to prevail on me in Dumo’s press release is ridiculous. I have continually appealed to Dumo and the Chiefs to conclude the burial plans and to lay my husband to rest, but they had declined. Please refer to the attached letters.

Dumo needs to be reminded that last year, when the entire family of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs including him, Dumo, met and planned his funeral - the meetings of which are all supported by minutes and/or electronic recordings - the issue of possession of body was never on the table. So much has changed since then however, and I cannot trust him or the chiefs to act in our best interests. There is now a fake accusation of murder hanging over my head. And of course, his father’s Last Will and Testament has now been read.

Sadly, I note that Dumo is silent about my husband’s funeral wishes. I can only conclude that it was obviously not factored into their plans. If it had been, Dumo would no longer be calling himself the ‘Chief Mourner’ as this runs contrary to his father’s wishes. I cannot join Dumo or anyone else setting out to disregard my husband’s burial wishes, which are as follows:

“I wish to be buried and for my wife Seinye Peterba Lulu-Briggs, if she survives me, to take an active part in my funeral services. I direct that my funeral services be simple and done in Kalabari tradition as allowed by my Christian beliefs in recognition of the dignity of my position as head of Young Briggs House. I request that there be no mourning or weeping. Any members of my family and a beneficiary under this Will who refuses to participate in my funeral shall be completely excluded from benefit under this Will as if such person had predeceased me.”

The problem, therefore, is not my refusal to release my husband’s body for burial. The truth is that I am not in a position to entertain Dumo’s ultimatum that he must have full control over his father’s estate. Dumo knows that his father had taken care of everything in his Will. Yet, he was always going to carry out his threat to force me to bend to his wishes, including the fabrication of false evidence to corroborate a petition his lawyers made to the Nigeria Police against me for the alleged murder of his father.

Since then, under Dumo’s direction, over the past twelve months, I have been abused, insulted, vilified, defamed, persecuted and - under false pretexts - detained, investigated and harassed by law enforcement agencies. My family, friends and colleagues have not been spared either. Indeed, under criminal law in Nigeria, a person charged for murder if found guilty could be sentenced to death by hanging. I give glory, thanks and praise to God Almighty for his awesome grace through all this.

As I have stated, none of these have stood in the way of burying my husband. Neither the courts nor the various law enforcement agencies’ work is an excuse for not burying High Chief Dr. O. B. Lulu-Briggs. No matter the level of malicious disparagement, including the on-going public vilification and ridicule, my husband’s wishes will stand.

Given the peculiar nature of this matter, it is important to focus on the burial of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs and not on who has custody of his earthly remains. Neither Dumo nor any other person needs to have the earthly remains of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs weeks earlier than the date of his funeral. We should therefore get to work planning to bury our patriarch on the date decided. We have wasted enough time already.



Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs

RE: RIVERS STATE GOVERNMENT OFFERS TO BURY LATE HIGH CHIEF O. B. LULU-BRIGGS

I read with gratitude the press statement issued by Simeon Nwakaudu, Special Assistant to the Rivers State Governor, Electronic Media.

I appreciate the public confirmation of the offer made by the governor of Rivers State, His Excellency Nyesom Wike to provide our beloved husband and patriarch, High Chief Dr. O.B. Lulu-Briggs, OON, DCF, DSSRS, a State burial.

I also note and welcome His Excellency's call on Kalabari leaders to join hands to ensure the burial of our patriarch as soon as it can be arranged, following the unnecessary almost yearlong delay.

I publicly acknowledge with the deepest gratitude efforts made by Governor Wike and our Royal Father, His Serene Majesty Professor T.J.T Princewill, Amachree XI, the Amayanabo of Kalabari Kingdom as well as other respected friends of the late High Chief to resolve the needless differences within our family.

I was taken aback by the statement attributed to His Excellency, in the same press release, that I insulted him in the course of his gracious interventions. To the best of my knowledge the last meeting with the Governor along with my son Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs on the 20th of September 2019 ended without rancor and with a resolution for each party to send settlement proposals to the Governor through the Attorney General of Rivers State, which was complied with.

However, if during any of our interactions my esteemed Governor felt insulted, I hereby tender my sincere apologies.

In addition, in case His Excellency has not had the opportunity to read the last letter I sent to him over his intervention, I have decided to publish it here. I hope he will see for himself that the entire O.B. Lulu-Briggs family and I unreservedly hold him in nothing but the highest regards.

My focus since this crisis emerged has been and remains to secure a burial date and accord my beloved husband, our patriarch, High Chief Dr. O.B. Lulu-Briggs the distinguished and honorable funeral he deserves as soon as possible, since no lawsuit anywhere in the world prohibits his funeral.

I remain open to any plan to make this happen.

Signed:


Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs
For the O. B. Lulu-Briggs Family

C

Abonnema Youth Call for Immediate Burial of High Chief Dr O. B. Lulu-Briggs

Youth of the Oruwari Briggs House of Abonnema Community in Rivers State, comprising the 7 family compounds over which High Chief Dr. O. B. Lulu-Briggs, OON, DCF, DSSRS, presided as paramount ruler, have called for his immediate burial, without further delay.

The youth, who met on Friday December 6, 2019, along with women of Oruwari Briggs compounds at the Young Briggs Memorial Hall said it was unacceptable that their respectable and distinguished paramount head had not yet been buried since he passed on to glory on December 27, 2018, almost a year ago.

The youth called on the immediate family of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs to bury their patriarch irrespective of the on-going differences within, especially since no lawsuit prohibits the High Chief’s burial. They threatened to sanction the family should it not call for his burial soon.

According to a one of the youth leaders Hosine Ende Briggs in statement made available to the media, “The great Chief died on the 27th of December 2018 and still has not been buried till date, almost a year because of family issues by the children and his own wife. The youths have also made it plain and open to the family that if the well-respected High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs’ burial arrangements are not made as soon as possible…the Youths have also agreed to go on a protest against the delay in announcing the burial arrangements of their own father High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs.”

It's been gathered that in response to this development, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs has called for a meeting with the same youth on Sunday December 8, 2019. A youth who pleaded anonymity said the planned visit by Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs is said to be for the purpose of embarking on empowerment for the youth of Oruwari Briggs House of Abonnema.

“Why is Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs interested in supporting the youth now when he didn’t deem it necessary when he was vying for the office of Governor of Rivers State earlier this year to do so?” He wondered while concluding that the real reason Chief Dumo was ‘rushing’ to Abonemma was to shut down the initiative the youth have taken to call the High Chief’s feuding family to order to ensure that the greatly admired High Chief was laid to rest. He said the youth were not ready to be ‘bribed.’

High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs has not been buried because his 3 eldest sons, Senibo, Dumo and Sofiri Lulu-Briggs, supported by some of the family chiefs have refused to set his burial date until they are able to arm-twist their stepmother to set aside their father’s Last Will and Testament.

According to details of the High Chief’s Will, he did not provide for them in his bequests because he considers the settlement sums he paid to them in 2003 and 2004 as their inheritance. It may be recalled that between 2002 and 2004, the three brothers made serious criminal allegations against their father and embroiled him in several lawsuits in Nigeria, the UK, and the US, seeking to wrest control of Moni Pulo Limited, an oil company he founded from him.

Although judges ruled against them, family sources say the High Chief was thoroughly embarrassed at the public spectacle of fighting legal battles with his children. He therefore sought to bring these to an end. Hence, through two settlements, the three brothers were paid off with the understanding that they (and any parties related to them) would not ever interfere in the operations of Moni Pulo Limited in perpetuity.

“The Abonnema community and Oruwari Briggs House compounds are all aware of the tense relationship that existed between the sons and their revered father,” said a close family relative.

Meanwhile there were mixed reactions as news filtered into Abonnema early Saturday that Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs has scheduled a visit to the community for Sunday in response to the Friday meeting and subsequent threats by the youths of Oruwari Briggs House over the undue delay in the burial of their beloved demised paramount head. It is not yet known, if indeed, the meeting would hold as being rumored.

DR. (MRS.) SEINYE O. B. LULU-BRIGGS BESTOWED WITH AWARD OF EXCELLENT SERVICE TO HUMANITY

Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs, the Chairman Board of Trustees of the O. B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation and wife of nationalist and philanthropist, High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs was on Thursday November 28, bestowed with an the Award of Excellent Service to Humanity by the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN)

The award according to the association was bestowed on her in recognition of her outstanding and consistent selfless service to humanity especially in health related interventions.

National President of the association, Dr. Taiwo Lateef Sheikh, personally commended Dr. (Mrs.) Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs for her selfless service to humanity, which according to him should be emulated by other well-to-do members of society.

Dr. (Mrs.) Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs, who was represented by Mrs. Ineba Tongkam, the Programmes Coordinator of the O. B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation, thanked the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria for the honour done her. She dedicates the award to the loving memory of her husband, High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs and for the continued selfless service to God and humanity.

The O. B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation under her leadership, has since 2001 been at the forefront of providing quality humanitarian services to people in rural communities mainly in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Through its five thematic focus areas: Care For Life Programme, Free Medical Mission, Access to Clean Water & Sanitation, Education & Scholarship and Micro Credit & Entrepreneurship, the foundation does its best to provide succour and uplift the indigent.

Oraye St. Franklyn
Spokesman, Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs