The Anambra State Government has begun taking steps against people who deny women and girls the right to inherit property simply because they are female.
The state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Tobechukwu Nweke, SAN, has asked the Nigerian Police to investigate complaints involving gender-based disinheritance and forward the case files to his office for prosecution.
Nweke made the request in a letter personally signed by him and addressed to the police. The letter was made available to journalists on Monday, September 26, 2026.
According to the Attorney General, denying women or girls their inheritance because of their gender is an offence under Section 22 of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2017 of Anambra State. The offence carries a possible prison term of up to four years.
The Attorney General directed the police to properly investigate such cases and send the relevant files to the Ministry of Justice for further action.
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 move comes against the background of several Supreme Court decisions which have rejected customs and practices that prevent women from inheriting property on the basis of their s.ex.
Despite those court decisions, cases of women being excluded from inheritance because they are female are still reported in parts of the state.
The latest directive means complaints involving such practices can now be investigated by the police and referred to the Ministry of Justice for possible prosecution under the state law.
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