A widow Mrs. Njideka Ngwuta of the Nsokkara community in the Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has been subjected to the worst embarrassment of her life when a group of women in the community announced that she had been excommunicated and ostracised from the community for allegedly questioning the change of venue of the women’s meeting.
Saturday Vanguard says she said that the leadership and members of the Acharaukwu Development Union Women Wing (ADU) wrongly accused and ostracised her without fair hearing or due investigations.
She said that the sentence was contrived by leading members of her family to deport her, and to take possession of the lands of her dead husband, and to confiscate additional properties owned by the family.
The widow has thus asked to the Ministry of Women Affairs, the Governor’s wife and other well-meaning people around the country to swiftly dive into the case and undertake a comprehensive investigation into her plight. Access Services
In her letter of appeal titled, “Urgent petition against extreme harassment, ostracising and attempted forcible eviction by the leadership and members of the Acharaukwu Development Union, Women Wing (ADU), in Ezza South Local Government Area”, the widow alleged that members of Umunaza Kindred ganged up against her and she had no one to speak for her because all the adult male children of her husband’s family had died of strange diseases.
Her appeal stated: “I am originally from Achina, Aguata LGA of Anambra State but married into the Ngwuta Anyigor family of Acharaukwu Nsokkara in Ezza South LGA about 27 years ago. The couple has three children. “Unfortunately my husband is dead like his brothers, parents and other prominent male relatives. With the death of my husband and his male relatives, there is no one to represent the family at the level of the clan. That’s why we’ve been mistreated.
“I have been incessantly tormented by some members of our kindred, Umunaza Kindred of Acharaukwu Nsokkara, who are hell-bent on dispossessing my family of the lands belonging to us.
My late husband had two brothers, who married and had children before the three brothers died accidentally under odd circumstances, leaving me and my co-wives as young widows with our young children behind.
And my parents-in-law are also dead, thus the entire Ngwuta Anyigor family was left in the hands of widows and little children. Before my mother-in-law died in 2016, my co-wives and their children had left the village after several spiritual attacks and mysterious deaths in the family, and just my mother-in-law, myself and my three children were remained.
“I wanted to run away with my children from the village but couldn’t leave my mother-in-law alone as she was old and needed care. I stayed with her nursing her till she died and was buried. After her death I knew that if I left the village with my children, the whole family would have run away, and the family name, compound and legacy would have been extinguished.
‘I stayed with my children, farmed on our property and utilised the money to educate my children in school. “Some of my husband’s nephews and nieces have returned and are now living with me in the family compound owing to my stay in the village,” she said.
But Mrs Ngwuta said that since the death of her husband and her choice to remain with her children, the husband’s nephews and nieces, and some members of her late husband’s kindred, Umunaza, have been trying to forcefully take over her husband’s estates and family lands and frustrate them out of the family compound.
Surprisingly, the people at the center of the alleged land-grabbing were close to her husband when he was still alive.
“Despite my vulnerability as a widow without an adult male backing me in the family, I have consistently fought against these land-grabbing attempts,” she claimed. Some very close family members of my late husband, who are of the same kindred with my late husband are at the fore of this oppression.
“When they tried to forcibly take my lands, I stood my ground and the whole Acharaukwu community came in, looked into the matter and decided in my favour, which is the right thing.
“These guys having failed to snatch the land, have resorted to character assassination and blackmail. One day, in 2024, two young girls from the same Acharaukwu Nsokkara came to my house around 9 p.m. begging me to agree that I sold some cassava to them. I knew they were trying to set me up, like they had been trying to take me out of my family, and I refused them, and told them to leave my house.
I purposely did not attend any public function or any gathering at a private house since I was afraid of being set up for future unforeseen events. This union holds its meeting in every village from time to time whereas the Annual General Meeting is conducted in the month of August every year. My village is Effium, Acharaukwu Nsokkara. The meeting place is generally the Effium Playground. It is also crucial to state that as at 2024 I was the Secretary of the Effium Unit of the Union.
Surprisingly, approximately three years ago, the then Chairlady of Effium Unit of ADU Women Wing moved the meetings from the public playground where such meetings were typically held to the compound of one of my late husband’s cousins.
I protested and formally informed the association that I would not attend any meeting in any one’s compound, fully aware of the danger to my safety and liberty. I voiced my genuine concern of being framed and subject to jungle justice for crimes I didn’t commit.
“The ADU Women Wing leadership got angry and did not see me as a fellow woman and a widow. They even reported me to the Catholic Church that I attend. The Catholic ladies Organization (CWO) of my church asked me to apologise to the ADU ladies in an attempt to make peace. Following the CWO’s directive, I went with several members of the church to meet the ADU women at Dr Kelvin Nwankwo’s compound but we were turned back at the gate and Dr Nwankwo particularly cautioned that we should not come into his compound. I went back with the other members of the church and told the CWO and the priest of the church and from then on I have kept my resolution of not going to such a meeting in anybody’s compound.
They shoved a matchbox into my hand, to show that I was an outcast from the community. They also issued draconian and illegal edicts against me to the effect that I was totally banned from drawing water from any of the community streams or boreholes; forbidden from interacting or associating with anyone in the community; and banned from entering the markets to buy or sell anything. They threatened to kill me if I ventured to resist their demands.
“I am sure that this women’s group is being sponsored and weaponised by some persons in Acharaukwu Nsokkara to frustrate, humiliate and terrorise me to abandon my late husband’s home so that they can finally take over my family’s land.
“My life and my children’s lives are in serious danger right now. My three children, my husband’s nephews and nieces have fled our home in fear of being harmed. I am now a fugitive, sleeping in the surrounding communities because it is no longer safe for me to sleep in my own married home.”
She further stated that one of her neighbours, Miss Rebecca Aleke, who visited her complex after she was ostracised, was later tortured and nearly beaten to death for associating with her. She said she was scarred by the incident and was afraid of what might happen next.
She therefore, is appealing to the wife of the Governor of Ebonyi State, Mrs Uzoamaka Nwifuru, as her last resort, to step into her situation and save her life and property. Access Services
“I want the Governor’s wife to use her good office to urgently call for the leadership of the ADU Women Wing, Acharaukwu Nsokkara, to explain their justification for ostracising a widow like me and denying me access to basic amenities and issuing death threats to me,” Mrs Ngwuta urged.
The President of the ADU Women Wing, Mrs Leticia Ngele and one of the members, Mrs Eucheria Nwandende confirmed that Mrs Njideka Ngwuta was ostracised by the union when approached. They said Mrs Ngwuta has always been prominently involved in carrying out barbaric activities against other women.
But the traditional ruler of Nsokkara Autonomous Community, HRH Eze Festus Ifesinachi Okonkwo and a significant stakeholder in the community, Chief Celestine Ekechi criticised the activity of the women’s organization, saying that such act was never part of their culture.
The king said he was aware of the situation, but all efforts to settle same had proved unsuccessful as even the letter of summons sent to the women was not complied with.
However, Ezeogo has dissolved the leadership of the Acharaukwu Development Union (ADU) Women Wing over the ungodly conduct against the widow.
The ban order was issued to the office of the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Ezeogo Okonkwo, who claimed the activity of the women’s organization was in total disobedience to Section 002 of the 2018 Ebonyi State Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law.
The traditional ruler who scowled at the injustice meted to the widow ordered Mrs. Njideka Ngwuta to urgently return to her matrimonial home and to be re-united with her children and loved ones.
He cautioned that any further threats to her life would be taken very seriously and visited with the full weight of the law of Ebonyi State and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He said it was against the culture, customs and traditions of Nsokkara and Ezza Ezekuna people adding that he was very unhappy with the leadership of the women for blatantly and flagrantly refusing to honour his invitation when he got wind of the incident.
“The action, harassment and the inhuman treatment meted against Mrs. Ngwuta is a violent act which has caused her physical and emotional trauma and is condemned in its entirety, as it is an action perpetrated against her fundamental human rights and equally violates the provisions of Ebonyi State Violence Against Persons Prohibition No. 002 of 2018 (VAPP Law). “The palace has commenced an in-depth investigation to unravel the sponsors of the barbaric and heinous act in the community,” the monarch assured.
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