While the benefits of having a Will executed and properly lodged at the Probate registry before a Testator’s death cannot be overemphasised, it is not unusual in the Nigerian clime to find a deceased person who is yet to make a Will before his death (i.e., died intestate).

The law made provisions to accommodate this circumstance by laying down the procedures for the grant/issuance of Letter of Administration (L.A) for the Estate of the deceased. Without the grant of the LA, the beneficiaries cannot legally access the monies or deal with the properties of the deceased. Until the LA is granted, the properties of the deceased are deemed to be vested in the Chief Judge of the State, wherein the deceased resided.

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