The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has waded in as a widow, Chioma Asomugha cried out over her in-laws insistence that she drinks water used to her bath her late husband’s corpse.
The 34-year-old native of Ubahuekwem in Ihiala area of Anambra said the brothers of the deceased, Charles, told her to drink the water to prove she was not responsible for his death.
The widow disclosed that the couple and four children lived at the Ajangbadi area of Ojo.
Chioma said the burial will be held on Monday June 14, and that the in-laws already chased her out of their home.
“They insisted that before I will be allowed to come in that I will drink the water used in bathing my late husband’s corpse,” she complained.
Chioma called the attention of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Awka and her Oraifite people to the matter.
Laura Ugwuanyi, Coordinator of NHRC in Anambra, described the family’s demand as unfortunate.
She regretted that efforts to resolve the matter did not yield positive results as the family was not cooperating.
Chief Gerald Nnabugwu, a community leader in Ubahuekwem and Anambra Commissioner for Information, C. Don Adinuba promised to intervene.
This is one of the bad cultures in Igbo land and part of the south south, that made people from other places most especially yoruba from getting married to either ibo men or women. They ought to have known that this is a new generation, event has passed all those old bad cultures. How on earth asking your fellow human beings to drink the water used to bath dead body, for what? Very odious.