A group, Sisters With A Goal Initiative (SWAG) has petitioned the Imo State Commissioner of Police, CP, Mohammed Ahmed Barde, urging him to halt further dehumanization of a widow and her children.
The widow, Rosemirian Amaka Onyeama of Amienyi Umuaka Community in Njaba LGA of Imo State and her children are reportedly undergoing serious harassment and intimidation at the hands of her deceased husband’s relatives.
According to SWAG Executive Coordinator, Marjorie Ngozi Ezihe, the widow’s husband’s relatives led by one Christiana Chizoba Biambo deployed operatives of Ebubeagu on 14th June, 2022 to stop the widow from constructing a new obi.
It was gathered that the construction of the new obi was in preparation of the widow’s son’s assumption of the traditional ‘Okpara’ stool in their community which is his inheritance.
Ezihe disclosed that the Ebubeagu operatives not only vandalized the home of the widow but also took away valuables including cash, documents and Android phone from her home.
She disclosed that the raid on the home of the widow was the climax of the series of attacks on her as well as the violation of her rights by her in-laws since the demise of her husband 15 years ago.
Before the raid at her home, Ezihe revealed that the widow’s in-laws had attempted evicting her and her children from their residence in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
She added that the in-laws attempted seizing her husband’s property in Umuguma, World Bank Owerri , Hilux truck, and taking over her property in Umuaka Community.
According to the SWAG boss, Rosemirian’s in-laws have been farming and harvesting her economic trees and farm lands as well as denying her and her children access to their homestead since the demise of her husband.
She submitted that the actions of the in-laws constituted a crime as well as a flagrant infringement of their fundamental human rights as well as contravened the legal framework of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law of 2021.
Ezihe regretted that Christiana Chizoba Biambo was at present influencing the police to further compound the woes of the widow.
She cited the incident on August 5, 2022 when Rosemirian had to bail herself with N20,000 at the police station on the strength of a petition purportedly written against her by Christiana.
According to her, the police handling the matter were frustrating the case so it could be struck out by the court on the basis of being filed out of time.
Enquiries made showed that the police commissioner was yet to act on the petition.
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