Ebonyi widow ostracized, banned from community water, market cries out - Vanguard News

ABAKALIKI — Mrs. Njideka Ngwuta, a widow from Nsokkara community in Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, experienced the worst embarrassment of her life when a group of women from her community announced that she had been excommunicated and ostracised from the community for allegedly questioning the change of the women’s meeting venue.

She alleged that the leadership and members of the Acharaukwu Development Union Women Wing (ADU) wrongfully accused and ostracised her without fair hearing or proper investigation. She alleged that the punishment was initiated by notable personalities in her kindred with the aim of banishing her and grabbing her late husband’s land and confiscating other estates belonging to the family.

The widow has therefore appealed to the Ministry of Women Affairs, the Governor’s wife and other well-meaning people across the country to urgently wade into the matter and conduct a thorough investigation into her plight.

In her letter of appeal, titled, “Urgent petition against extreme harassment, ostracizing, and attempted forcible eviction by the leadership and members of the Acharaukwu Development Union, Women Wing (ADU), in Ezza South Local Government Area,” the widow alleged that members of Umunaza Kindred united against her and she had no one to speak on her behalf because all the adult male children of her husband’s family had died of strange diseases.

Her petition reads: “I am originally from Achina, Aguata LGA of Anambra State but was married into the Ngwuta Anyigor family of Acharaukwu Nsokkara in Ezza South LGA about 27 years ago. The union is blessed with three children. Tragically, my husband is deceased, just like his brothers, parents and other prominent male relatives. Since the demise of my husband and his male relatives, nobody represents the family at the kindred level. That is why we have been maltreated.

“I have been subjected to relentless torment by certain members of our kindred, Umunaza Kindred of Acharaukwu Nsokkara, who are hell-bent on dispossessing my family of the lands belonging to us.

“My late husband had two brothers who got married and had children before the three brothers incidentally died under suspicious circumstances, leaving me and my co-wives as young widows with our young children behind. My parents-in-law are also deceased, and so the entire Ngwuta Anyigor family was left in the hands of widows and young children. Before my mother-in-law died in 2016, my co-wives and their children had left the village owing to numerous spiritual attacks and unexplainable deaths in the family, leaving only my mother-in-law, myself and my three children behind.

“I had wanted to run away with my children from the village, but I could not leave my mother-in-law alone as she was old and needed care. I stayed behind and took care of her until she died and was buried. After her death, I realised that leaving the village with my children would mean that everyone in the family had run away, and that would lead the family name, compound and legacy into extinction.

“I stayed back with my children, farmed on our lands and used the proceeds to train my children in school. As a result of my stay in the village, some of my husband’s nephews and nieces have returned and now live with me in the family compound,” she narrated.

Mrs. Ngwuta, however, revealed that ever since she lost her husband and decided to stay back with her children, her husband’s nephews and nieces, as well as some members of her late husband’s kindred, Umunaza, have been trying to forcefully take over her husband’s estates and family lands and frustrate them out of the family compound. She expressed surprise that those at the forefront of the alleged land-grabbing were close to her husband while he was alive.

She said, “despite my vulnerability as a widow without an adult male backing me in the family, I have consistently resisted these land-grabbing attempts. At the forefront of this oppression are some very close family members of my late husband, who share the same kindred with my late husband. When they attempted to forcefully take over my lands, I stood my ground, and the entire Acharaukwu community intervened, looked into the matter and rightfully decided in my favour.

“Following their inability to take over the lands, these people have resorted to character assassination and blackmail. Sometime in 2024, two young girls from the same Acharaukwu Nsokkara came to my house around 9 p.m. and begged me to agree that I had sold some cassava to them. I immediately suspected that I was being set up by the same people who had been trying to take me out of my family, and I quickly refused and asked them to leave my house.

“Owing to my fear of being set up on more unsuspecting events, I made a conscious decision to stop attending public events or gatherings held at private residences. This union conducts its meetings in each village from time to time, while the Annual General Meeting is held in August of every year. My own village is Effium, Acharaukwu Nsokkara, and the meeting is usually held at the Effium Playground. It is also worthy of note that, as of 2024, I was the Secretary of the Effium Unit of the Union.

“Surprisingly, about three years ago, the then Chairlady of Effium Unit of ADU Women Wing relocated the meetings from the public playground where such meetings were always traditionally held, directly to the compound of one of my late husband’s relatives.

“Understanding the clear danger this posed to my safety and liberty, I protested and formally informed the association that I would not attend any meeting in anyone’s compound. I expressed my legitimate fear of being set up and subjected to jungle justice for crimes I did not commit.

“Rather than understanding my plight as a fellow woman and a widow, the ADU Women Wing leadership became infuriated. They went as far as reporting me to the Catholic Church where I worship. In an attempt to make peace, the Catholic Women Organization (CWO) of my church mandated me to apologise to the ADU women. In obedience to the CWO, I went with some members of the church to see the ADU women at Dr. Kelvin Nwankwo’s compound, but we were turned back at the gate, and Dr. Nwankwo specifically warned that we should not enter into his compound. I went back with the other church members, informed the CWO and the priest of the church and have since then maintained my resolution not to attend such a meeting in anyone’s compound.

“They forcefully handed me a matchbox, indicating that I had been ostracised from the community. Furthermore, they passed draconian and illegal edicts against me to the effect that I had been completely banned from fetching water from any of the community streams or boreholes; forbidden from interacting or associating with anyone in the community; and banned from entering the markets to buy or sell anything. They threatened that I would be killed if I dared disobey their orders.

“It is abundantly clear that this women’s group is being sponsored and weaponised by some people in Acharaukwu Nsokkara whose aim is to frustrate, humiliate and terrorise me into abandoning my late husband’s home so they can finally take over my family’s land.”

“At the moment, my life and the lives of my children are in grave danger. My three children, my husband’s nephews and nieces have fled our home for fear of being harmed. I am currently living as a fugitive, sleeping in neighbouring communities because it is no longer safe for me to sleep in my own marital home.”

Mrs. Ngwuta further alleged that one of her neighbours, Miss Rebecca Aleke, who visited her compound after she was ostracised, was later tortured and almost beaten to death for associating with her. Such action, she said, had left her traumatised and afraid of what might happen next.

She is therefore calling on the wife of the Governor of Ebonyi State, Mrs. Uzoamaka Nwifuru, as her last resort to wade in and save her life and her home.

“I also want the Governor’s wife to use her good office to promptly summon the leadership of the ADU Women Wing, Acharaukwu Nsokkara, to explain their justification for ostracising a widow like me, denying me access to basic amenities and issuing death threats against me,” Mrs. Ngwuta appealed.

When contacted, President of the ADU Women Wing, Mrs. Leticia Ngele, and another member, Mrs. Eucheria Nwandende, confirmed that Mrs. Njideka Ngwuta was ostracised by the union, saying that Mrs. Ngwuta had always been at the forefront of carrying out barbaric acts against other women.

However, the traditional ruler of Nsokkara Autonomous Community, HRH Eze Festus Ifesinachi Okonkwo, and a major stakeholder from the community, Chief Celestine Ekechi, condemned the action of the women’s group, noting that such an act was never part of their culture.

The monarch admitted that he was aware of the case but noted that all efforts to resolve it had proved abortive, as even the letter of summons sent to the women was not honoured.

Meanwhile, Ezeogo has disbanded the leadership of the Acharaukwu Development Union (ADU) Women Wing over the reprehensible action against the widow.

Ezeogo Okonkwo, who submitted the ban order to the office of the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, said the action of the women’s group contradicted Section 002 of the 2018 Ebonyi State Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law.

The traditional ruler, who frowned at the injustice meted out to the widow, ordered that Mrs. Njideka Ngwuta should, as a matter of urgency, return to her matrimonial home and reunite with her children and loved ones.

He warned that further threats to her life would be viewed with seriousness and visited with the full weight of the law of Ebonyi State and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He emphasised that the barbaric act was against the culture, customs and traditions of Nsokkara and Ezza Ezekuna people, noting that he was very annoyed with the leadership of the women for bluntly and flagrantly refusing to honour his invitation when he got wind of the matter.

“The action, harassment and the inhuman treatment meted against Mrs. Ngwuta is a violent act which has caused her physical and emotional trauma and is condemned in its entirety, as it is an action perpetrated against her fundamental human rights and equally violates the provisions of Ebonyi State Violence Against Persons Prohibition No. 002 of 2018 (VAPP Law),” the monarch stressed, assuring that the palace had initiated an in-depth investigation to unravel the sponsors of the barbaric and heinous act in the community.

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