Mrs. Chioma Asomugha, 34-year-old widow from Ubahuekwem in Ihiala area of Anambra, has raised the alarm that her in-laws were forcing her to drink water used in bathing her dead husband’s corpse.
Chioma, the widow, confirmed the development in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Awka.
She alleged that the brothers of her late husband, Charles, said she must drink the water to prove that she was not responsible for her husband’s death but that she would not do that.
Chioma said that she and her late husband lived peacefully in Ojo, near Lagos before his death.
“I have four children with my husband and we lived at Ajangbadi in Ojo area of Lagos before his demise.
“The burial is fixed for Monday June 14, but since we came home for the burial, the relatives of my husband forced me out of my matrimonial home.
“They insisted that before I will be allowed to come in that I will drink the water used in bathing my late husband’s corpse,” she stated.
Chioma said she took the matter to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Awka as well as her Oraifite people with a view to resolving the matter.
Mrs Laura Ugwuanyi, Coordinator of NHRC in Anambra, confirmed the report, describing it as obnoxious.
She said that efforts made to handle the matter did not yield positive results as the family members were not cooperating.
However, Chief Gerald Nnabugwu, a community leader in Ubahuekwem, told NAN that leaders of the community were looking into the matter.
The Anambra Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr C-Don Adinuba, also promised to intervene in the matter.
When contacted, Mr Okey Chukwu, President General of Ubahuekwem community, said he was in a meeting, promising to call back.
He, however, did not call back. (NAN)
