The burial of the late Ambassador Patrick Dele Cole has been reportedly halted by the Rivers State High Court following a legal dispute over funeral rites.
The court was said to have issued an interlocutory injunction restraining the family and other parties from proceeding with the burial pending the determination of the matter before it.
Sources said the injunction followed a disagreement involving family members and traditional institutions over burial arrangements for the late elder statesman.
Ambassador Dele Cole, who hailed from Abonnema in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, was a renowned diplomat, journalist, and author.
He served as Nigeria's Ambassador to Brazil and as Special Adviser on International Affairs to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, among other notable national assignments.
Details of the suit and the parties involved remain sketchy as of the time of filing this report, while efforts to obtain the certified court order were still ongoing.
The development has thrown preparations for the burial into uncertainty as family members and stakeholders await further directives from the court.
