By Ovat Abeng
The Attorney General of Anambra State, 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.
This was disclosed in a letter written to the Nigerian Police and personally signed by the Attorney General which was made available to news men on monday 26th September 2026. 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
The concluding part of letter reads as follows:
“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.
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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.”
Despite the decisions of the Supreme Court declaring as unconstitutional and illegal, customs and practices which exclude females from inheriting property, some members of the public still indulge in these discriminatory practices.
