Abakaliki: A lawyer and gender rights activist, Mrs. Eunice Onuabuchi, has emphasized that Nigerian law grants equal inheritance rights to both male and female children.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Onuabuchi, in an interview, called for urgent action to enforce existing laws that combat cultural practices denying girls their rightful inheritance.
In the South East region of Nigeria, women face numerous challenges, including cultural norms that limit their inheritance rights. Despite legal frameworks supporting gender equality in inheritance, traditional customs continue to marginalize females. Onuabuchi highlighted a recent case where four daughters were evicted from their late father’s home due to the absence of male offspring, a situation she described as both discriminatory and unconstitutional.
According to the legal practitioner, these young women, faced with homelessness and societal pressure, felt compelled to enter early marriages. A legal battle ensued between their uncles over the property, prompting a High Court judge in Ebonyi to refocus the case on the rightful heirs. The court ultimately declared the daughters as the legal heirs, citing Supreme Court precedents affirming equal inheritance rights for women.
Onuabuchi stressed the symbolic nature of the case, revealing pervasive gender biases in inheritance practices. She lamented that many women remain unaware of their rights, suffering in silence. The lawyer urged women and civil society organizations to challenge these injustices and promote legal awareness. She highlighted that Nigerian law, particularly Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution, prohibits discrimination, and recent court rulings have reinforced women’s inheritance rights.
Onuabuchi concluded by urging collective action to end the silence on gender inequality in inheritance, emphasizing the importance of legal recourse to set precedents benefiting others.
