Ikenna Obianeri
The Anambra State Government has initiated steps to prosecute those denying women and girls the right to inherit property in the state.
As a result, the state has requested the Nigeria Police Force to investigate such complaints and transmit the case files to the office of the state Attorney-General for prosecution.
The Attorney-General of Anambra State, Tobechukwu Nweke, SAN, disclosed this in a letter to the Nigeria Police Force, which he personally signed and was made available to journalists on Tuesday.
Nweke noted that there had been several cases of girls being prevented from inheriting properties owned by their parents, based on what had been described as customs and traditional practices in the region.
He said that despite Supreme Court decisions declaring customs and practices that excluded females from inheriting property unconstitutional and illegal, some members of the public still engaged in the discriminatory practices.
The letter noted that the practice of denying women and girls their right to inherit property because of their gender amounted to a crime under Section 22 of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2017 of Anambra State, and was punishable by up to four years’ imprisonment.
The letter reads, “In 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 Unit to handle the prosecution of offenders under the above-mentioned law, alongside other forms of domestic violence and sexual offences.”
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