By Ifeizu Joe
The government of Anambra State, under Governor Chukwuma Soludo has commenced efforts to secure the right of women to be inherit properties.
There have been several cases of girl children being prevented from inheriting properties owned by their parents, following what had been termed as customs and traditional practices of the Igbo people of South East, Nigeria.
This has persisted, despite the decisions of the Supreme Court declaring as unconstitutional and illegal, customs and practices which exclude females from inheriting property. This is as some members of the public still indulge in these discriminatory practices.
But the Attorney General of Anambra State, Mr. Tobechukwu Nweke SAN has initiated steps for the prosecution of those denying females the right of inheritance in the State and has requested the Nigerian Police to Investigate such complaints and transmit the case file to his office for prosecution.
In a press release by the special assistant on media to Anambra State Governor, Mr Ejimofor Opara, who quoted a letter to the Nigerian Police and personally signed by the Attorney General, the state will commence legal action against those who deny women their inheritances.
Opara said: “The letter noted that the obnoxious practices of denying women and girls of their right to inherit property because they are females amount to a crime under Section 22 of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2017 of Anambra State and punishable with up to four (4) years imprisonment.”
He quoted a part of the letter to the police commissioner which read: “In the light of the foregoing, you are kindly requested to ensure that your office thoroughly investigates all reported cases of gender-based disinheritance and that the case files are transmitted to this Ministry for further action.
“To effectively combat this practice, this Ministry has designated the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Unit to handle the prosecution of offenders under the above mentioned law, alongside other forms of domestic violence and sexual offences,” the letter read.
