The Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, has decried the high rate of maltreatment of some widows by families of their late husbands.

Mr Orutugu made this known on Sunday in Amawbia, Awka, during a “Human Rights Accountability Meeting.”

The event was organised by a non-governmental organisation, Humanitarian Cares, in collaboration with the Anambra State Police Command to sensitise residents of the state to their rights, especially widows.

The CP said that abuse of the widows rights stems from the people’s culture, tradition and family values.

“In some families in Anambra, when a woman loses her husband, she becomes a subject of ridicule, it is bad under the Nigeria law. The way women suffer in Anambra when they lose their husbands is terrible.

“Some of the brothers and sisters in-laws only aim at inheriting their late brothers wives and property but don’t talk about how to maintain the children of the deceased,” he said.

He said that under the Nigeria law, a legally married woman has the right to her children and husband’s property.

According to her, a widow has the right to her husband’s property, as long as they  married legally married before his demise.

“Since I assumed duty here as the CP over one year now, I have been able to get justice for many widows whose rights have been violated,” he said.

The CP urged husbands in the state to always write a will to protect their wives and children in the case of death.

Mr Orutugu advised communities and families in the state to amend some cultures, traditions and family values to respect the country’s constitution which protects the rights of everybody, including widows.

He urged residents of the state to report human rights violation to the police to prevent and tackle crime.

The CP, who said that bail was free, urged the people to report officers and men who demand money to bail a suspect.

Also speaking, Officer in Charge of the Command’s legal department, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Essien Edet, enjoined both widows and widowers to report violation of rights to the police, saying that everyone was protected under the law.

He said that the measure would help prevent and tackle crime in society.

According to him, it is the duty of the police to enforce the law.

The Deputy Superintendent of Immigration (DSI) Onyinye Udenze, advised residents of the state to report suspicious foreign nationals living among them, especially those without valid permit to stay in the country.

Some residents, who participated in the security summit, asked what should be done when there was abuse of human right in their communities.

Others asked whether bail was free and alleged that many foreign nationals were involved in serious crimes across the country.

Earlier, the National Coordinator, Humanitarian Cares Initiative, Augustine Ejiofor, said that the organisation provided legal services and support to victims of human rights abuses in the country. 

(NAN)