Anambra Threatens Prosecution Over Denial Of Women’s Inheritance

Image: IG 

The Anambra State Government is moving to enforce the right of women and girls to inherit property, with the state Ministry of Justice asking the police to investigate cases where females are deliberately excluded from inheritance because of their gender.

The move was initiated by the state Attorney General, Tobechukwu Nweke, SAN, who has directed that complaints involving gender-based disinheritance should be properly investigated and forwarded to his office for possible prosecution.

Nweke made the request in a letter addressed to the Nigerian Police. The document, which was signed by the Attorney General, was made available to journalists on Monday, September 26, 2026.

The state government is relying on provisions of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2017 of Anambra State, which criminalises the practice of denying women or girls access to property and inheritance simply because they are female.

Under Section 22 of the law, anyone found guilty of the offence could face up to four years in prison.

The Attorney General's directive places particular emphasis on investigation. Rather than leaving such complaints to be handled as family disputes, the police have been asked to treat reported cases as matters requiring investigation and possible criminal prosecution.

The letter states:

“In light of the foregoing, you are kindly requested to ensure that your office thoroughly investigates all reported cases of gender-based disinheritance and that the case files are transmitted to this Ministry for further action.

“To effectively combat this practice, this Ministry has designated the S3xual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Unit to handle the prosecution of offenders under the above mentioned law, alongside other forms of domestic violence and s3xual offences.”

The directive also gives the Ministry of Justice a specific role in taking such cases forward. The SGBV Unit has been assigned to handle prosecutions arising from gender-based disinheritance, alongside cases involving d0mestic vi0lence and se.xual offences.

The issue of women being denied inheritance on the basis of traditional customs has been the subject of court battles in Nigeria for years. The Supreme Court has, in previous decisions, rejected discriminatory customs that prevent women from inheriting property because of their s.ex.

Those legal decisions have established that customary practices cannot be used to override the constitutional rights of women.

However, the existence of those judgments has not completely ended the practice. In some families, women and girls can still face attempts to exclude them from property left behind by their fathers or other relatives.

The latest action by the Anambra Ministry of Justice therefore focuses on bringing such cases within the criminal justice system where the facts establish an offence under the state law.

With the police now directed to investigate complaints and submit relevant case files to the Attorney General's office, people who attempt to deny women their lawful inheritance on account of their gender could face prosecution under the existing state legislation.

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