AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
Some indigenes of Ugwulangwu, a community in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State have revealed that men stand a chance of inheriting landed property of any deceased man who had no male child by caring for him either while sick or sponsoring his burial ceremony after his death.
This tradition, according to them, is still being practised in the community despite modernisation, religion and advancement in technology.
It was gathered that men who were attacked by ailments but lacked capable hands or grown up male children to take care of them, often compensated those who were there for them with their landed property at the point of death.
A native of Ugwulangwu, Collins Chukwu, revealed that an instance of the agelong practice played out in 1978 during the lifetime of his father, Chukwu Egwu, his eldest brother, Okorie Chukwu and their two other male siblings.
Collins, at a resolution center popularly known as Family Law Center in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital, explained that his father inherited the land of his brother Okorie Chukwu who had no male child in 1978 by taking care of him and sponsoring his burial ceremony as obtainable in the area.
Collins claimed that his father transferred ownership of the land to him as his first son.
However, another man identified as Solomon Chukwu, a cousin to Collins, kicked, saying the land in contention was inherited by his own father who is from same mother with the man who had no male child.
Okorie Chukwu was the eldest son of their father and had three other male siblings, eight female children without any surviving male child.
The about six hectares of land Okorie Chukwu left behind became contentious as sons of his brothers have gone into serious legal battles claiming ownership of the land.
The men claimed that their fathers took care of the original owner (Okorie Chukwu) when he was suffering ailment and sponsored his burial.
The battle has been raging between the cousins for some time despite all interventions.
Meanwhile, the eight female children of the original owner who now have children, grandchildren and namesakes for their father, have dragged their cousins to the Family Law Center and demanded full inheritance, ownership and use of their father’s landed property and all the economic trees on them.
Having gone through all the facts in the matter, the presiding Chairman, Elizabeth Nwali, in her judgement on September 14, 2023, ordered Collins and Egwu to hands off the land, withdraw their suit from the court because the land belongs to none of them in accordance with the 1999 Nigerian Constitution as amended.
Nwali said the law gave room for females to inherit property, adding that the Nigerian Constitution supercedes all customary laws and traditions in the country.
The chairman therefore awarded the land to the eight female children of the original owner, late Okorie Chukwu for use as the rightful owners.
