When someone dies without a will in Nigeria, their family cannot simply divide up bank accounts and property among themselves. A court must first grant Letters of Administration, the legal authorisation that allows a designated administrator to collect, manage, and distribute the estate. Understanding what this actually costs, and why, helps families budget and plan realistically rather than being surprised partway through.
This is general information, not legal advice. Costs and requirements vary by state; confirm current figures with the Probate Registry and a lawyer licensed in the relevant state.
What Letters of Administration actually cost
The cost has several components: court filing and administrative fees (often calculated as a percentage of the estate's declared value), a bond or guarantee the court may require, and separately, legal fees if you engage a lawyer to handle the application, which most families do given the process's complexity. Court and administrative fees are commonly cited in the low single-digit percentage of estate value, though this varies by state and by the specific assets involved, particularly where land is part of the estate.
Why the process takes as long as it does
The legal steps themselves, filing an application, publishing notices, obtaining the grant, are fairly standardised. What actually extends the timeline, almost every time, is incomplete information: a family that cannot produce a full list of the deceased's assets, missing documentation for land or property, or disagreement among relatives about who should administer the estate. A court cannot grant authority over assets nobody can clearly identify or prove exist.
The basic application process
- Obtain the death certificate.
- Identify the appropriate applicant, usually the closest next of kin.
- Compile a complete list of the deceased's assets and their approximate value.
- File the application with the Probate Registry of the relevant State High Court.
- Address any objections or competing claims, if raised.
- Receive the grant, then begin collecting and distributing the estate.
What happens without it
Banks, land registries, and other institutions will not release a deceased person's assets to family members without a valid grant, Letters of Administration where there is no will, or Probate where there is one. Attempting to bypass this, for example by simply withdrawing funds using a shared PIN, exposes the family member involved to serious legal liability regardless of good intentions.
How Remayn helps
Remayn cannot reduce court fees or speed up a judge's calendar, but it solves the part of this process that most often causes delay: making sure your family has a complete, verified list of what you own the moment they need to apply, rather than assembling it piece by piece, asset by asset, over months while the estate sits unresolved.
