Anambra Orders Police Probe Into Denial of Women’s Inheritance Rights

By Our Reporter

The Anambra State Government has directed the police to investigate cases involving the denial of inheritance rights to women and girls and forward the case files to the Ministry of Justice for prosecution.

The directive was issued by the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Tobechukwu Nweke, SAN, in a letter personally signed by him and made available to journalists on September 26, 2026.

Nweke said denying women and girls the right to inherit property because of their gender constitutes a criminal offence under Section 22 of the Anambra State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2017.

The offence, he said, carries a punishment of up to four years’ imprisonment upon conviction.

“Denying women and girls their inheritance on the ground of their gender is a criminal offence,” the Attorney General stated.

He directed the police to properly investigate all complaints relating to the denial of women’s inheritance rights and forward the completed case files to the Ministry of Justice for necessary legal action.

The Ministry has also assigned the cases to its Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Unit for prosecution.

The unit will handle inheritance-related discrimination alongside other cases involving domestic violence and sexual offences.

The move comes against the backdrop of previous Supreme Court decisions which declared discriminatory customs and practices preventing women from inheriting property unconstitutional and unlawful.

Despite the court’s pronouncements, cases of women and girls being denied inheritance on account of their gender are still being reported in the state.

The Attorney General’s latest directive is aimed at strengthening enforcement of the law and ensuring that persons who unlawfully deny women and girls their inheritance rights are brought before the courts.

The development is expected to place greater emphasis on the criminal enforcement of existing protections for women’s property and inheritance rights in Anambra State.

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