UPDATE: Rising cases of harmful widowhood practices in Igbo communities

REPORTS from some communities in Igbo land indicate that harmful widowhood practices are still going on, in fact, it is on the rise.

The ill treatments range from denial of rights, to banishment from communities for flimsy reasons, among others. Investigation shows that there are still many obnoxious laws against widows in various Igbo communities.

In a community in Atani, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, unwholesome widowhood practice of forcing a widow to drink the water used in washing the body of the deceased husband as a proof of her innocence in the death of her husband, is still in practice.

However, some communities have stopped or modernised some of the practices like reducing the mourning period for a widow to enable her continue with her business or job.

Weighing in on this, a woman leader and president of Catholic Women Organisation in Ndakwu, Okija, Mrs. Chioka Okoli agreed that even though some of the age long practices have been dropped, most of the treatment being meted out to widows in many communities still border on ill treatment.

She said: “I see it as unfair treatment, the habit of sitting a woman in an enclosure during the burial of her husband and people just come around the secluded place to wave at her in a sympathetic manner.

“The issue of brothers in-law pestering a widow to give them details of her husband’s property is also still common and this is causing so much rift in many families.

“There was a situation where, after the burial ceremony of a woman’s husband, she had to go back to the city because she is a civil servant. The next thing she heard was that her late husband’s elder brother had forcefully taken over her husband’s house and moved his family into the house on the argument that a dead man does not own property.

“All efforts made for the man to see reason failed and because of that action, the woman no longer goes to the village because there is no place for her to stay.

“There was also the case of the brothers of the late husband of a widow who confiscated all the land acquired by the man when he was alive, leaving the widow and her six children with nothing.

“So, while in some communities widows are no longer subjected to drinking water used to wash their late husbands bodies, they still face a new wave of inhuman treatment, including making them sit where everyone watches them during the burial of their husbands.”

Women activists protest in Anambra

Irked by these ugly practices against widows, a group of women rights activists staged a peaceful protest in Awka, Anambra State to condemn the inhuman practices, among which is forcing a widow to drink the water used in washing the corpse at a community in Atani, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.

In their large numbers, the women gathered at the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court Awka, Anambra State capital to protest these harmful widowhood practices. They displayed placards, some of which had bold inscriptions such as: Stop violence against women and girls in Anambra State; Ogbaru men and women, allow our widows some peace; Stop all obnoxious laws and harmful widowhood practices in Anambra State, among others.

It was learned that what prompted the protest was a recent incident in Atani community in Ogbaru Local Government Area, where a widow, Mrs. Patricia Eligbue, was rescued from her late husband’s relatives who forced her to drink the water used in bathing the corpse of her late husband’s nephew. Speaking during the protest, the Chairperson of Violence Against Persons Prohibition, in Anambra State, Miss Hope Okoye, said: “This peaceful demonstration is only a way to make the women’s voices heard, as well as, a clarion call on Ogbaru communities to review the existing obnoxious traditions and expunge all forms of harmful practices against women and widows in the area.

“All well-meaning indigenes of  Ogbaru and indeed, Anambra State, both at home and in the Diaspora, should lend their voices in speaking against every form of ill-treatment against women and widows, not only in Ogbaru communities, but also in all parts of the state.”

She tasked the Anambra State Government through the state’s Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court, to protect women and widows in the state; and ensure that justice is served on perpetrators of these ugly practices against women and widows, irrespective of their social status.

It was, however, learned that one of the suspects, one Albert Eligbue, a native of Atani in Ogbaru Council, who allegedly forced a widow, Patricia Eligbue, to drink water used in washing the deceased husband’s corpse was arraigned before the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court, Awka on a five-count charge.

In another incident, in Umunankwo community, also in Ogbaru Council, there was a video in circulation where two dangerous masquerades accompanied by scores of men, including very elderly ones, were escorting a woman called Nneka out of the community to where she was banished to. Her offence, according to them, was that she poisoned the community’s food, but there was no further explanation on the food she was accused of poisoning.

The narrator in the video said: “Today, the 30th of April, 2023, on this day, Nneka committed atrocity; she poisoned the food of the community and she refused to go for atonement. For that purpose the masquerades have risen to say the final goodbye to Nneka, to the boundary of no return, thou shall not come again, thou shall not come again.

“Today marks the last day of Nneka in Umunankwo Community in Ogbaru, Anambra State. She committed atrocity and she has been ostracized by the masquerades. (We are) escorting her to the boundary of no return and if you dare come back to the community, whatever you see, you take.”

At a stage, the woman could no longer trek, perhaps having trekked very long distance, she collapsed and she was abandoned there. None of the men showed pity but were rather cursing her, saying: “Nneka look at where you ended up; if you die here we will throw you in the evil forest.” Evil practice indeed!

We’ve abolished all forms of dehumanizing widowhood practices —Egwuedu PG

In Egwuedu Autonomous Community in Njaba Local Government Area, Imo State, all forms of harmful widowhood practices that humiliated and dehumanized womanhood, have all been abolished, according to the President-General of the community, Chief Eric Uwaoma.

Uwaoma said at present, Egwuedu community has no existing harmful widowhood practice. He, however, noted that it was not an easy task banishing such obnoxious laws against widows in his community, as it was met with some resistance from members the community.

“Our generation does not have much to contend with in terms of such obnoxious widowhood practices and laws against women. Where a woman is suspected to have killed her husband, the woman is made to face a panel to answer some questions, but not such harmful practices of drinking anything or substance. Such suspected women are not also visited with any harmful practice, but if found guilty, could be made to pay a fine or penalty for her action or role in the death of her husband.”

Enugu widow ejected from husband’s home for allegedly killing him

In Ufodo Community, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, a widow, Mrs. Deborah Odo, was sometime in April 2018, ejected from her husband’s country home by some family members of her husband for allegedly having a hand in his death.

Even before the ejection, the woman had cried out against the continued harassment, intimidation and threat of ejection from late husband’s country home by relatives of her husband.

According to her, they have made life unbearable for her and the children since the death of her husband in 2017 and accused the family members of attempting to use every available tactics, false allegations, including unlawful means, to evict her and children out of the said home.

Speaking on the ugly incident, the traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Boniface Okoro condemned the act and described it as pure wickedness and inhumane. He expressed surprise that a man will wake up and send a widow out of her husband’s home for allegedly killing her husband without evidence just to take over her property. We don’t support such here; my kingdom does not allow maltreatment of widows for alleged killing of husband without evidence. It is nowhere in the Constitution of Nigeria. The development is pure act of harassment, intimidation, conspiracy and inhuman.”

Harmful widowhood practices abolished in my community—Abia monarch

Former Chairman of Traditional Rulers Council, Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State, and the traditional ruler of Oriendu Autonomous Community, Eze Philp Ajomuiwe said that since he mounted the throne 25 years ago, no form of harmful widowhood practice is witnessed in the community.

According to him, sustaining inhuman and harmful practices in the name of preserving culture and tradition is an open invitation to God’s wrath. The monarch said that although he met no such obnoxious practice in the community, he would not have tolerated any act aimed at causing injury to a widow, insisting that it is the height of wickedness to inflict more pains on a woman who is still traumatized by the death of her husband.

The monarch urged his counterparts in Igbo land to lead the campaign against such obnoxious practices wherever it still exists, arguing that it does not add any value to our culture. Eze Ajomuiwe warned that the fundamental human rights of a widow should not be trampled upon just because she lost her husband and advised communities where such ungodly practices still exist to quickly stop them and embrace modernity and civilization.

It was discovered that in communities like Abiriba and Ohafia, in Abia State, when a man dies,  people from his mother’s side would come to claim his inheritance, not considering the fate of his widow.

“In some cases, the woman is ejected from her husband’s house in some communities in Old Bende especially Abiriba ancient kingdom,” a source confided in SEV.

“This is an aspect of our culture that is too bad and should be discarded. Ejecting a widow out of her husband’s property is a rape of her fundamental rights”, the source said, noting however, that the influence of Western education plus Christianity had greatly eliminated some crude harmful widowhood practices in Old Bende.

Women education, key to end widowhood abuses —Cleric

The Pastor of Highway to Grace Assembly, in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Rev. Chikammadu Eze said that quality education remains the key weapon to fight for widows’ rights in Igbo society. He equally advocated for an end to the patriarchal system in Igbo society, urging government to enforce laws which would protect the lives and  rights of widows.

“Let there be social inclusion for women in our society, but above all, we should give our women quality education. When a woman is educated, nobody in her late husband’s place can marginalize or molest her, not to talk of subjecting her to undue inhuman treatment. When we have massive educated women, we would have healthier and better society,” the cleric said.

Also, the Executive Director of Obige Obukpa Widows Care Foundation, based in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Lolo Eucharia Eze, said that her Foundation has been at the forefront of fighting for widows’ rights in her community.

She disclosed that there are several cases of molestation of  widows but since the birth of her Foundation, the cases have been handled and the ugly occurrences reduced to the barest minimum and encouraged women not to die in silence but to report cases of abuse to her Foundation, Women Aid Collective, WACOL and Action Aid and others for proper treatment.