What to Do When Someone Dies in Nigeria

The first 48 hours after a death in Nigeria determine whether the estate settlement process takes six months or six years. Most families lose critical time because they do not know what to do first, what documents to secure immediately, and what actions to avoid completely. Extended family arrives, opinions multiply, and decisions get made by whoever is loudest rather than whoever has legal authority.

Here is the exact sequence you should follow, broken into time-critical phases.

First 24 Hours

Secure the Medical Certificate of Death

If the death occurred in a hospital, the attending physician issues a medical certificate of death. Collect this immediately — do not leave the hospital without it. This document is not the official death certificate (that comes from the NPC), but it is a prerequisite for everything that follows.

If the death occurred outside a hospital — at home, in an accident, or in a rural area — you need either a police incident report or a local government burial warrant. For deaths in remote villages, a sworn court affidavit may substitute for the medical certificate.

Notify the Employer (If Applicable)

If the deceased was actively employed, notify their employer's Human Resources department within 24 hours. This freezes payroll, triggers group life insurance claims, and starts the pension death benefit process. Under the Pension Reform Act, employers must maintain Group Life Insurance providing at least three times the employee's annual total emolument — but the claim process requires formal notification as the starting point.

Do Not Touch Bank Accounts

This is the most critical rule, and the one most frequently broken. Do not attempt to withdraw money from the deceased's bank accounts. Once the bank receives formal notice of death, all accounts are frozen by law. Any withdrawals made before or after notification without a court grant constitute intermeddling — a civil and potentially criminal offense.

The common belief that a "Next of Kin" can access accounts is legally wrong. In Nigerian law, the Next of Kin designation is an emergency contact — it confers zero rights to withdraw funds, manage assets, or distribute the estate.

First Week

Register the Death with the NPC

The National Population Commission (NPC) is the sole authority for civil death registration under the Births, Deaths, Etc. (Compulsory Registration) Act. Registration is now digital, through the NPC portal at deathnotification.nationalpopulation.gov.ng.

You will need your own NIN (National Identification Number), the medical certificate or sworn affidavit, and the deceased's full legal name exactly as it appears on their official records. Name mismatches between the death registration and the deceased's bank accounts or NIN are the single biggest cause of downstream rejections.

Secure Original Documents

Gather and secure these while you still have access to the deceased's home and personal effects:

• Original Will (if one exists) — check with the deceased's lawyer, the Probate Registry, and home safe/filing cabinets
• Bank statements and account details
• Property title documents (Certificate of Occupancy, Deed of Assignment)
• PFA (Pension Fund Administrator) details and RSA number
• Insurance policies
• Vehicle registration documents
• Business partnership agreements

Do not wait on this. Extended family members may remove documents from the home once they learn of the death.

First Month

Engage the Probate Registry

If the deceased left a valid Will, the executors apply for a Grant of Probate. If there was no Will, the family applies for Letters of Administration. Both applications go to the Probate Registry of the State High Court.

Until the court issues a grant, the estate is legally vested in the Chief Judge of the state. No family member — regardless of their relationship — has legal authority to manage, transfer, or distribute any assets.

The application requires the NPC death certificate, identification documents, and a preliminary inventory of assets. In Lagos, the process begins online through the LAPRS portal.

Compile the Asset Inventory

List every asset and liability:

• Bank accounts (all banks, all account types)
• Pension RSA balance and PFA name
• Real estate (with descriptions, locations, and title documents)
• Vehicles
• Business interests and shares
• Outstanding debts, loans, and obligations
• Funeral expenses already incurred

This inventory is submitted to the Probate Registry and forms the basis for the estate duty calculation.

Critical Mistakes to Avoid

Distributing assets before the court grant. Even if the family agrees on who gets what, any distribution without a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration is legally void and exposes everyone involved to liability.

Ignoring resealing requirements. A probate grant is only valid in the state that issued it. If the deceased had assets in multiple states, you must reseal the grant in each state — a process that takes approximately six months per state.

Failing to notify all creditors. The administrator is personally liable for debts they were aware of or should have discovered. A proper creditor notification process protects you.

Assuming customary law governs distribution. If the deceased contracted a marriage under the Marriage Act, statutory intestacy rules apply — not customary law. This is true even if the family practises customary traditions.

The Nigeria Estate Settlement Guide provides the complete step-by-step workflow from the first 48 hours through final asset distribution, including decision flowcharts for the three legal systems, agency contacts, and every form you need at each stage.

Guide to Estate Settlement and Inheritance in Nigeria →