A relationship therapist and content creator, Precious Eze, has amassed attention online after sharing videos from the burial ceremony of a Nigerian lawyer she attended.
According to her TikTok posts, it was her first time witnessing such a ceremony.
In one of the clips, a group of legal practitioners dressed in their traditional court attire; black gowns, white horsehair wigs, collarettes, and white shirts were seen carrying the coffin of their deceased colleague to the graveside.
Another moment showed a wig and gown placed on the coffin, symbolising the legal profession of the deceased.
Precious also expressed surprise at the depth of the grave, noting in a caption:
“It’s my first time seeing how deep lawyers grave is. To bury a barrister is so painful after all the studies.”
While nothing unusual played out in the short clips from the burial Precious shared, it again brought to the fore the myth that lawyers are buried facedown.
Speaking to Legit.ng, Chidera Divine Ebimnamaonye, founder of Pure Legal Solicitors, dismissed the widespread belief that lawyers are buried face down.
He said:
“Lawyers are not buried upside down. If you see a lawyer or human buried upside down, he belongs to some associations whose practice demands “burial upside down”.
“It is unfounded in any legal book or law that lawyers are meant to be buried facedown or upside down. And there is no rule in Nigeria that guides the burying of people in a particular way. Faced down or upside down are all legally permissible.”
On whether there is a fixed burial pattern, he added:
“The most important thing is burying them in a way that won’t cause health issues for neighbours. A dead body will decay; it is immaterial how you position the body in the coffin.
There’s no particular way a lawyer should be buried. Face down or up is at the discretion of the family.”
Speaking on the scene of ‘transfer of authority’ captured in one of Precious’ videos, Barrister Chidera explained:
“Symbol of authority means that they are giving him his father’s legal apparel to keep. The law cloth means he had a lawyer dad.”
Also speaking with Legit.ng, Chipuruime Obiagwu-Udeh, a lecturer at Imo State University, stated that lawyers are buried like every other person.
She said:
“Lawyers are buried just like every other person.
“Except that particular lawyer belongs to some type of group that requires special activities and ceremonies to be done.
“I must quickly add that one activity that stands out during a lawyer’s burial is the High Court Session, where their colleagues pay their last respect to the late lawyer.”
Watch the video below:
@precious_eze_ #creatorsearchinsights ♬ original sound – Precious Eze
@precious_eze_ #creatorsearchinsights #lawyersburial ♬ original sound – Precious Eze
@precious_eze_It’s too painful to lose a professional person #♬ original sound – Precious Eze
@precious_eze_Loosing a Barr is so heartbreaking after all the years of studying♬ original sound – Precious Eze
