Korede Abdullah 
Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu
AWKA, Nigeria – The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Ikioye Orutugu, has strongly condemned the abuse and discrimination faced by widows, describing the practice as a violation of Nigerian law and fundamental human rights.
Speaking on Sunday at a Human Rights Accountability Meeting in Amawbia, Awka, Orutugu criticised cultural practices that subject widows to humiliation, dispossession and social exclusion after the death of their husbands.
“In some families in Anambra, when a woman loses her husband, she becomes a subject of ridicule; it is bad under Nigerian law,” he said.
The police commissioner expressed concern over cases in which relatives focus on taking over the property and assets of deceased men while neglecting the welfare of their children.
“Some of the brothers and sisters-in-law only aim at inheriting their late brothers’ wives and property but don’t talk about how to maintain the children of the deceased,” he stated.
Orutugu stressed that widows who are legally married have recognised rights to property inheritance and child custody protections under Nigerian law.
He revealed that the police command had intervened in several cases to secure justice for widows whose rights were violated.
The commissioner also encouraged men to prepare legally recognised wills to protect their families from disputes after their death.
He called on communities to abandon cultural practices that conflict with constitutional rights and urged victims of abuse to seek legal protection.
Orutugu further reminded residents that police bail remains free and encouraged members of the public to report officers who demand money for bail services.
Also speaking, CSP Essien Edet advised widows and widowers to report violations of their rights, while Deputy Superintendent of Immigration Onyinye Udenze urged residents to report undocumented foreign nationals.
Humanitarian Cares National Coordinator, Augustine Ejiofor, said the organisation continues to provide legal support for victims of human rights abuses across Nigeria.
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Mirian Gom 
Oluwatobi Adu 
