Kaduna: Court orders release of Cecilia Bakam’s corpse amid family dispute

An Upper Customary Court, Sabon Tasha, Kaduna, has ordered the immediate release of the corpse of the late Cecilia Bakam, who died in October 2023 and could not be buried following a clash within the family over where the deceased should be buried.

The case, seen by many as a clash between tradition and the debasement of values, left the body of Mrs. Cecilia Peter Bakam unburied due to her alleged dying wish.

The presiding judge, Danladi Douglas, while delivering judgment in Kaduna on Thursday, stated that the corpse of Cecilia Bakam should be immediately released to the elders, saying that the applicants are bound by the tradition and custom of the Bajju people regarding where the deceased should be buried.

According to him, “The defendant was able to prove, in accordance with the tradition and custom of the Bajju people, that it is the elders who have the strongest say about the place and manner of the burial of the deceased.”

The presiding judge added that even if the deceased had a dying wish, the elders still have the final say regarding where the corpse should be buried.

The presiding judge said, “The elders should be given immediate access to the corpse so that they can make arrangements and prepare for the burial.”

Douglas observed that both parties are bound by the custom and tradition of the Bajju people, pointing out that they are all Bajju.

He noted that holding the corpse of Cecilia Bakam for a long period is unlawful and contrary to the customs and traditions of the Bajju people.

The Upper Customary Court, Sabon Tasha, in Kaduna State, has adjourned the case between Mr. Emmanuel Bakam and his siblings to August 1, 2024.

The first son of the late 70-year-old woman, Emmanuel Bakam, approached the Upper Customary Court, Sabon Tasha, Kaduna, in January this year, seeking the release of his mother’s corpse for burial in accordance with the Bajju native custom and tradition, which stipulates that his late mother should be buried outside her matrimonial home.

Bajju is one of the tribes in the Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The defendants, Hajiya Maryam Doka, Maureen Kabrik Bakam, Veronica Dudu Bakam, George Bakam, and Pascalina Bakam, refused to grant access to the first son of the family and the elders because their requests to bury their late mother inside a room alongside their late father, as per her alleged dying wish, were not granted.