The Anambra State government has directed the police to investigate cases involving the alleged denial of inheritance rights to women and girls and forward relevant case files to the state attorney-general for prosecution.
The directive is part of measures being taken by the state government to tackle discriminatory practices that prevent females from inheriting property belonging to their parents.
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Tobechukwu Nweke, disclosed the development in a letter addressed to the police, signed by him and made available to journalists on Tuesday.
Nweke said the state government has received reports of girls being denied their inheritance on the basis of customs and traditional practices in parts of the state.
According to him, such practices remain unlawful despite previous Supreme Court decisions declaring customs that prevent women from inheriting property on account of their gender as unconstitutional and illegal.
The commissioner for justice said the continued enforcement of such discriminatory practices amount to an offence under Section 22 of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2017 of Anambra State.
He noted that anyone found guilty under the provision could face up to four years in prison.
Nweke therefore asked the police to thoroughly investigate all reported cases of gender-based disinheritance and forward the resulting case files to his ministry for further legal action.
“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,” the letter stated.
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He further disclosed that the state Ministry of Justice has designated its sexual and gender-based violence unit to prosecute offenders involved in the practice.
“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,” Nweke said.
The directive places responsibility on law enforcement agencies to investigate complaints while the Ministry of Justice handles prosecution in cases where the evidence supports criminal proceedings.
