Abakaliki, Mrs Eunice Onuabuchi, a legal practitioner and gender rights activist, has called for urgent action to dismantle long-standing cultural practices in Igboland that deny female children the right to inherit their parents’ property.
Speaking in an interview with our correspondent on Thursday in Abakaliki, Onuabuchi lamented the sustained silence around the issue and described the practice as “ugly, discriminatory, and unconstitutional.”
“For too long, our culture has kept silent on this injustice.
“It is time we rise up and challenge a status quo that denies daughters their rightful inheritance,” she said.
Onuabuchi pointed out that across Igboland, women are routinely excluded from inheriting family property based on traditional stereotypes and male-preference customs, which she described as obnoxious and harmful.
She cited a recent case involving four daughters who were forcefully ejected from their late father’s home because he had no male children.
“A man in Abakaliki had four daughters and no sons. After he and his wife died, their daughters were left alone in the family home. Their uncles, exploiting patriarchal customs, issued them a quit notice and threw them out.”
According to Onuabuchi, the girls; young, unemployed and scared were forced into early marriages they were unprepared for, simply to secure shelter and avoid social disgrace.
“However, a legal dispute later erupted between the uncles over who should inherit the property.
“When the case came before a High Court in Ebonyi, the judge shifted focus from the uncles’ claims to the deceased’s actual heirs.“
“The judge asked a fundamental question: Who owned the property originally?
“When it was established that the man left behind four daughters, the court ordered they be joined in the case as interested parties—even though some had already fled out of fear and frustration.
“At the end of the trial, the court ruled that neither uncle had a rightful claim and declared the four daughters the legal heirs to the property.
“The court relied on Supreme Court precedents which affirm that female children have equal rights to inheritance.
“It was a landmark judgment celebrated across Ebonyi as a victory for justice and women’s rights,” Onuabuchi said.
The lawyer emphasised that the case was symbolic, representing more than just one family’s story—it exposed the deeply rooted gender bias in cultural inheritance practices and how they are weaponised to rob women of their rights.
She regretted that many women remained unaware of their legal rights and continue to suffer abuse and disinheritance in silence.
“There are laws protecting women’s inheritance rights. Taking legal action not only changes one’s life but can set a precedent that benefits others.”
She stressed that Nigerian law is evolving and customary laws that discriminate against women are now being invalidated by the courts.
“Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) guarantees freedom from discrimination.
“The Supreme Court’s ruling in Ukeje v. Ukeje confirmed that female children cannot be excluded from inheritance simply because of their gender,” she said.
Onuabuchi urged women, legal practitioners, and civil society organisations to speak out and help break the silence that sustained inequality.
“What happened to those girls still happens too often. Widows are told to vacate their homes, daughters are told they have no rights. But the law is on their side; it’s time we all stood up and said enough is enough.” ENDS//
