Lawyer Debunks Viral Myths About How Nigerian Lawyers Are Buried

(Stella Justice Nnennaya. Photo by Gistreel)

Attorney Stella Justice Nnennaya has disproved two long-held notions regarding Nigerian lawyers’ funerals, characterizing them as tales that have been passed down for years without any factual or legal foundation.

The lawyer clarified in a widely shared online post that there is no Nigerian law, legal custom, or Nigerian Bar Association rule mandating lawyers to be buried in a particular way due to their occupation.

A lawyer rejects popular beliefs about burial

One of the most widespread myths, according to Stella Justice, is that attorneys are buried face down because they are thought to have uttered too many falsehoods over their careers.

Additionally, she refuted the popular notion that attorneys are buried in their wigs and gowns or alongside law books as part of legal tradition.

She responded to the allegations by writing: “Two of the worst lies ever stated about lawyers are:

Attorneys who have told too many lies are buried face down.

Lawyers are buried under their gowns and wigs.

Both are not true.

Like everyone else, attorneys are buried.

No Nigerian law, Nigerian Bar Association regulation, or legal custom mandates that attorneys be buried face down, with wigs and gowns, or with law books.

Burial practices vary by culture, religion, and family.

The attorney emphasized that funeral plans for attorneys are just like those for anyone else.

She clarified that the intentions of the departed, family members, religious convictions, and cultural customs all influence burial decisions practices rather than the person’s profession.

“The wishes of the deceased, the family, religion, and culture, not the legal profession, determine a lawyer’s burial,” she added. Attorneys don’t make their living by lying.

Stella Justice also refuted the widespread belief that attorneys are taught to tell lies in court.

Presenting evidence, interpreting the law, defending clients’ legal rights, and making sure everyone has a fair trial before the court are the cornerstones of the legal profession, she explained.

“A lawyer’s job is not to tell lies,” she stated.

A lawyer is educated to defend a client’s legal rights, present the facts and the law, and guarantee that everyone has a fair trial.

Therefore, don’t believe anyone who tells you that lawyers are buried face down since they lie for a living.

It’s just a long-standing myth with no real basis.

Finally, she asked her followers if they had grown up believing the myth and asked them to share their stories in the comments area.