The Anambra State Government has launched a fresh crackdown on individuals who deny women and girls the right to inherit property on the basis of their sex, warning that offenders risk prosecution and imprisonment.
The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Tobechukwu Nweke, SAN, has directed the Nigeria Police Force to investigate complaints involving gender-based disinheritance and forward the case files to his office for prosecution.
Nweke disclosed the move in a letter personally signed by him and addressed to the police, a copy of which was made available to journalists on Monday, September 26, 2026.
The Attorney-General said the practice of denying women and girls their inheritance solely because they are female constitutes a criminal offence under Section 22 of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2017 of Anambra State.
According to the letter, anyone found guilty under the provision could face up to four years’ imprisonment.
Nweke directed the police to thoroughly investigate all reported cases of gender-based disinheritance and transmit the resulting case files to the Ministry of Justice for appropriate legal action.
The letter stated: “In light of the foregoing, you are kindly requested to ensure that your office thoroughly investigates all reported cases of gender-based disinheritance and that the case files are transmitted to this Ministry for further action.”
The Attorney-General further disclosed that the Ministry had designated its Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Unit to prosecute offenders under the law.
The unit will also handle prosecutions relating to other forms of domestic violence and sexual offences.
The latest move comes despite a series of Supreme Court decisions that have declared customs and practices excluding women from inheriting property unconstitutional and unlawful.
However, the state government noted that discriminatory inheritance practices persist in some communities, prompting the renewed push for enforcement.
The Anambra Government’s position is that gender cannot be used as a legal basis to deprive women and girls of property to which they are entitled, with authorities now moving to translate existing legal protections into prosecutions against alleged offenders.
