The Plight of a Widow, Where will her help come from...?
As I write this piece, I am still at loss with the level of injustice and unfairness prevalent in our country Nigeria. My interest in creating a forum for the voiceless and downtrodden has afforded me the opportunity to interact with this particular widow in question leaves a bitter taste and moreover emboldens my resolve to help in anyway I can to bring this deplorable anomaly to public scrutiny.
The travails of Mrs Rose Chiedu and her son Okwudili from Umuakpom Village, Ezeawulu, Nibo in Awka South local government area of Anambra State, Nigeria commenced with the death of Late Mr Chigbata Chiedu, their beloved husband and father respectively. After the funeral rites of the deceased, his siblings in their vile and evil machination contorted falsehoods in an apparent conspiracy to evict the grieving widow and possess Chigbata’s Home which leaves her grieving wife and son homeless.
The siblings of the widow’s husband namely Mr Jerome Chiedu, Mr Ejiofor Chiedu, Mrs Veronica Azaga (Nee Chiedu), Mrs Catherine Nwafor (Nee Chiedu) and their cohorts forcefully removed this poor widow from the house she and her late husband erected at Nibo. To properly act out their evil script, they planted Mrs Catherine Nwafor (Nee Chiedu) whom is married to a man from the neighbouring village (Umuka) to abandon her husband’s house and take over the house which rightfully should be occupied by the widow and her son, thereby making it literally impossible for the widow to regain entry into the house.
This I found odd and questioned why their community allowed this kind of injustice to stand. It was then that I was confronted with the dynamics at play here – although their community met and voiced their disapproval of the wrongs meted to this widow, that message from the community falls on deaf ears and Mr Ejiofor Chiedu who possesses the financial means and connections, sponsored a vicious campaign of intimidation and harassment to quell any voice of descent.This included him boasting that he had already settled the police and other law enforcement agencies with the sum of Three Million Naira and threatened to invest more money should anyone try to bring back the poor widow to the said house which belongs to her and her late husband.
With this poor widow left to her own device, and having nobody to fight for her, she has been effectively homeless and squatting with various relatives.The last relative she was occupying her house has requested for her to vacate the accommodation due to their re-location back to the village.
To fulfil the treats from Mr Ejiofor Chiedu, when the poor widow made an attempt to move back to her late husband’s home with her son, the police immediately pounced on her and her son and whisked them away to the central police station, Awka where they were immediately locked up and forgotten at the police cell without anyone to speak for them or act on their behalf. Any attempt she has made to regain what is rightfully hers has been thwarted by her in-laws and their powerful connections. Where did this poor widow and her son go wrong?
The climax and most disheartening episode of this already agonising saga for this widow occurred last week (17th of October, 2019) when her son who felt he had come of age and buoyed by a resolution by their community that the home was rightfully theirs, decided to commence a drive to return to their home considering the fact that he and his mother are homeless. What followed was a barrage of lawsuits and arrests by law enforcement agencies which resulted in both Okwudili and her mother Rose being detained in a police cell. What offence did they commit by going back to their home?
They are as we speak homeless and are terrified by this trauma; coupled with the anticipated and heightened persecutions coming their way.
Mr Ejiofor Chiedu has been bragging that he will initiate court actions as he knows that she and her son cannot afford to defend themselves and that before that comes, he will ensure they visit the police station regularly and he has been keeping upto that promise.
My questions are these –
How could a poor widow with no means of sustenance be subjected to this kind of abuse and depravity while the community at large stays mute?
Why should a widow be punished and rendered homeless, although she toiled with her late husband to set up an abode?
Is it a punishable offence to be a widow, poor and helpless?
Should we abandon the downtrodden or is it our duty to stand up to injustice?
Are there any suggestions from any concerned entity on how to help this hapless widow?
Is the Nigerian police designed to punish the poor?
Could you please share this to shine some light on this injustice? #savethiswidow #notoinjustice #nibostandup #bringbackthewidowtoherhome
Please share this until it gets to the IG of police, AIG of zone 9, Commissioner of police Anambra State, Legal practitioners, defenders of the poor, defenders of the widows, human rights groups, etc.

Im tired and disgusted when i hear or read of Poor widow this, Poor widow that.
When the man was alive, building the house and all, where was this poor widow and grown son? What stopped them from making sure their father/husband invested seperately for them in their names for their future?

Make sure you keep away a little something( cash or assets) in your name as a wife and/or your child(ren) names. This is Nigeria. I was a good wife , mother, loved and supported him is not enough. Stay Woke and wise. Having your own thing going keeps you confident in the marriage. A confident wife equals a happy home.

Love is not all but dem no go hear. Mr and Mrs "joint account only, my husband-house-is-mine, i trust my husband and his people" until life happen your eye go clear. Pele to Mrs Chiedu and son.

If you are in a narriage,use ur brain.
Ensure docs are reg with Mr and Mrs.Thats all

Ma'am you were not smart, always encourage your husband to secure you and your offspring secretly. Your life is in danger, run.

No one prays that their spouse dies untimely but check it out, if my husband can build a house etc, then I can sell xyz at least then I can keep 5k or even 1k aside per week! Aside in an untouchable place, when he reach like 100k I can leave in treasury bills if I no even know any other safe investment method! And no matter how hubby tries to make me pull out that money to support his business etc, he no go see am! Rather it’s him I will cajole to join me in the saving towards kids university I may call it. Don’t tell me your hubby doesn’t plan with u etc. then why are u married to him? In short, I Dey vex!

LadySarah:
If you are in a narriage,use ur brain.
Ensure docs are reg with Mr and Mrs.Thats all

Or even in your own name alone! That’s trust and security from a man! And men don’t fear this, for instance our car is in my name now but do know that if my husband wants to sell it, all he needs is the document, na me wan take am go court?
So essentially it’s for future that properties is in the wife’s name. Who wants to contend with a wife whose husband’s properties are in her name?

Please can this be pushed to the front page ?