Litigation, Insights

Legal Threshold of a Valid Will in Nigeria

A Will is a testamentary disposition usually made by a testator to give instructions to his executors on how he wishes to have his/her assets distributed upon his demise. There is a lot of skepticism about Will making, but if it is made in compliance with the dictates of the law it is usually beneficial for the administration of the estate of a deceased person.

A major benefit of making a Will is that once it has been established that it was validly made and admitted to probate, the executors of the Will can distribute the estate of the deceased in accordance with the provisions in the Will without interference from any quarters. However, on the flip side, not making a Will makes it easy for certain individuals to unlawfully interfere with the assets in an estate, particularly as regards how the estate should be distributed. These individuals include family members of the deceased, people who ought to be beneficiaries of the Will if one was made, and third parties who are being mischievous…

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Oludayo Ayeni

Senior Associate

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