The Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS) on Wednesday strongly condemned the maltreatment of Mrs. Esther Onuoha, a 52-year-old indigent woman from Uzo Mkporo, Apanu village in Abia State and appealed to Mrs. Priscilla Otti, Wife of the Executive Governor of Abia State, to use her esteemed office and moral voice to stand for justice and the protection of Mrs. Esther Onuoha and other vulnerable women in rural communities.
In a press statement made available to DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS and signed by Okoye, Chuka Peter for and on behalf of CEHRAWS, urged the Police in Abia and zone 9 not to give-in to bribe to support the injustice.
According to the statement CEHRAWS “is deeply outraged by the vicious and coordinated attacks, destruction of property, and ongoing threats to the life of Mrs. Esther Onuoha, a 52-year-old indigent woman from Uzo Mkporo, Apanu village in Item community, Bende Local Government Area of Abia State.
”Mrs. Esther Onuoha, a lawful member of the Nde Okpe family, was forcefully evicted from her late mother’s home, brutally assaulted, and rendered homeless by Chief Igwe Ukoma, a wealthy businessman and twelve others acting in blatant disregard for her constitutional and inheritance rights as a woman.”
According to verified reports, the perpetrators, emboldened by the victim’s lack of male protection and her vulnerable status, mobilized and violently dispossessed her of the property, looted valuables worth over ₦3.2 million, and subjected her to physical abuse, threats of death, and cultural ostracization. They even went as far as removing the apartment’s roof, doors, and windows in an act of calculated cruelty.
”What is more alarming is that CEHRAWS has received disturbing intelligence that these perpetrators are now boasting openly that they will bribe their way through the police and judiciary to frustrate justice. This is not only a direct threat to the credibility of the Abia State justice system but a tragic indictment of our collective failure to protect vulnerable citizens, especially women and widows, from traditional and systemic violence.
”These acts violate multiple provisions of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended), including:
✓ Section 34: Right to dignity and freedom from inhuman treatment;
✓ Section 42: Freedom from discrimination based on gender or circumstances of birth;
✓ Section 43: Right to own immovable property anywhere in Nigeria.
”It further violates the Abia State Female Persons Right of Inheritance Law (2022) and offends the judicial precedent in Ukeje v. Ukeje (2014) LPELR-22724(SC), where the Supreme Court outlawed any custom that excludes women from inheriting family property,” the grop stated.
The civil rights group then appeal for justice for the indigent woman.
”We therefore call on:
✓ Her Excellency, Mrs. Priscilla Otti, Wife of the Executive Governor of Abia State, to use her esteemed office and moral voice to stand for justice and the protection of Mrs. Esther Onuoha and other vulnerable women in rural communities;
✓ The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Abia State GBV Response Team, FIDA and other stakeholders in the civil society and legal ecosystem, to rise in unison and demand the immediate arrest and prosecution of the culprits.
✓ The Nigeria Police Force, particularly the Abia State Command and Zone 9 Headquarters, to reject any overture of bribery, act swiftly and impartially, and restore faith in the justice process.
”Mrs. Esther Onuoha’s continued displacement, fear for her life, and denial of inheritance rights speak volumes of the dangers women still face in asserting their rights in traditional communities.
“Justice delayed in this matter would not only be justice denied, it would be justice corrupted,” the statement concluded.
