After Death On Calabar Probate Trip, Assembly Demands Decentralized Estate Services

CALABAR, CROSS RIVER – The Cross River State House of Assembly has called for the decentralisation of probate services in the state following concerns over the hardship citizens face travelling to Calabar to process estate-related documents.

The Assembly, while adopting a motion on the need to decentralize probate administration in the state, urged the Cross River State Government through the Chief Judge, Hon Justice Akon Ikpeme, to establish probate registries in Ikom and Ogoja to serve the Central and Northern Senatorial Districts respectively.

The motion, sponsored by the Member representing Bekwara State Constituency, Hon Charles Omang, highlighted the challenges created by the current arrangement where probate services are only available at the Probate Department of the High Court in Calabar.

Leading debate on the motion, Omang explained that the centralisation of probate services has forced residents from across the state to travel long distances to the state capital to process Letters of Administration and other estate matters.

He said, “A Letter of Administration is a legal document issued by a Probate Court authorising a person to manage and distribute the estate of a deceased person who died without a Will.

“In Cross River State, Letters of Administration are processed and issued by the Probate Department of the High Court in Calabar. People come from all over the state to process Letters of Administration only in Calabar.

“This causes a lot of hardship on Cross Riverians who most times do not have where to sleep and complete the process.”

The lawmaker noted that the situation has placed financial and logistical burdens on families already dealing with the loss of loved ones, adding that decentralizing the service would bring justice closer to the people.

Contributing to the debate, other lawmakers expressed concern over the difficulties faced by residents, particularly those from rural communities who must travel several hours to access probate services.

The lawmakers also cited the case of a man who reportedly died in an accident while travelling from the Northern Senatorial District to Calabar to process a Letter of Administration for his deceased relative.

They argued that establishing probate registries across the three senatorial districts would reduce unnecessary travel, decongest the existing probate office in Calabar, speed up processing of applications and improve confidence in the justice system.

The Assembly consequently resolved to urge the Chief Judge of the state to take the necessary administrative and legal steps towards establishing and operationalising probate registries in the three senatorial districts.

The lawmakers maintained that decentralised probate services would enhance access to justice, improve efficiency and ensure timely settlement of estate matters for residents across Cross River State.