Elochukwu Benjamin
Awka
The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Anambra State, Tobechukwu Nweke, SAN, has directed the Nigerian Police to investigate complaints of gender-based disinheritance and forward case files to his office for prosecution.
Nweke gave the directive in a letter personally signed by him and made available to journalists on Tuesday.
The government is warning that denying women and girls the right to inherit property on the basis of their sex constitutes a criminal offence under Section 22 of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2017 of Anambra State.
The development comes against the backdrop of several Supreme Court decisions which have declared discriminatory customs and practices that prevent women from inheriting property unconstitutional and unlawful.
Despite these judicial pronouncements, the Attorney-General noted that some members of the public still engage in practices that deny females their inheritance rights because of their gender.
According to the Attorney-General, offenders convicted under the provision could face up to four years imprisonment.
He therefore urged the police to thoroughly investigate all reported cases of gender-based disinheritance and transmit the case files to the Ministry of Justice for further action.
He said the Ministry had designated its Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Unit to handle the prosecution of offenders under the law, alongside cases involving other forms of domestic violence and sexual offences.
