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Treatment of In-Laws Against Widows, Man’s Inhumanity to Man at Its Worst – CBA Foundation
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By Ony Kachi
After Mrs kumbaya (name changed to protect her identity) lost her husband at work in 2005, she was accused of killing him. The accusation did not come from her husband’s brothers but his sister, who had earlier lost her own husband. It took the combined hard work of the brothers to get their sister off the back of her fellow widow. They told their sister pointedly that she too could face the same accusation she was levelling against their sister-in-law, since her husband was deceased too.
This real incident underlines one of the greatest puzzles of the twenty-first century: How people who themselves or their mother or children or relatives are victims or could be victims of the dehumanising treatment of widows condone, live with, encourage and perpetuate the horrendous denigration inflicted on widows by their in-laws. The continued existence of this kind of situation of dog eat dog, or rather man’s inhumanity to man, makes one wonder if Aristotle also considered (Nigerian) in-laws when he asserted that man is a rational animal. There is absolutely nothing rational about the dehumanisation widows are subjected to by their in-laws in this clime.
A man, who through marriage has become one with the woman he marries, dies, leaving behind his wife and five children (three boys and two girls – this fact is only being added to show that the gender of the children may not even be a factor in how the widow is treated). Almost immediately his siblings and other blood relatives swoop on whatever assets of his they can lay their hands on. If a family meeting is convened, it is not to discuss the welfare of their late brother’s wife and children, who all bear the family name as part of their extended family. No, that is an agenda item for meetings convened by angels, not in-laws of widows. What in-laws of widows convene family meetings for is to make sure they have not missed out any of the assets their late brother could have had. That is how kind in-laws are to a widow.
If Mrs Kumbaya thought her case was going to be different because her brothers-in-law defended and protected her from their sister, then she apparently may have ascribed angelic virtues to her husband’s brothers. For, as it turned out, that act of defence and protection from their sister was the only kindness the brothers of Mrs Kumbaya’s late husband extended to her. They never helped or asked after her and her children’s welfare after that. Not even when things became so difficult that she could no longer pay her house rent and ended up on the street.
Maybe Mrs Kumbaya should even count herself lucky. Stories abound of widows who had been abused, molested, raped or “shared” by in-laws as part of the property left behind by their late brother. There are stories of widows, falsely accused of killing their husbands, being locked up by in-laws in police cells and the keys thrown into the sea, as it were. What about widows forced to drink the water used to wash the corpse of their husband as proof that they had no hand in their husband’s death. Or the ones forced to spend days and nights in the same room with the corpse of their husband.
Nigeria is not exactly a safe haven for women. What with the prevalence of harmful cultural orientations and practices against the female gender, such as preference of the male child to the female child, female circumcision, FGM (female genital mutilation), forced marriage and denial of inheritance, succession and other rights the male gender takes for granted. Generally, Nigeria is not a friendly environment for women, least of all widows considered to be a highly vulnerable group. In fact, Nigeria is said to be one of the least safe places for women in the world with a survey by the Thomson Reuters Foundation conducted in 2018 ranking Nigeria as the ninth most dangerous country in the world for women.
The dehumanising treatment of widows is part of what the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, passed in 2015, was intended to stop. The Act, more commonly referred to as the VAPP Act or law,
categorises emotional, verbal and psychological abuse as offences and is considered by many legal experts and advocacy groups to be a comprehensive tool for addressing all forms of violence and abuse against all persons. The law seeks to do so by providing maximum protection from violence of various forms against all persons irrespective of tribe, socio-economic class, religion and gender and offering effective remedies (financial compensation) for victims of violence and appropriate punishment (globally acceptable deterrents) for offenders.
It is not known how much of the general population, including in-laws who routinely dehumanise widows, is aware of the VAPP law. While ignorance of the law offers no excuse in a court of law, it is imperative that more enlightenment be created on the existence of the VAPP Act and all its provisions against many of the inimical practices that in-laws perpetrate against widows in the name of culture. Maybe, just maybe, some in-laws, who are themselves uncomfortable with those practices but take part because of family and community pressure, could be emboldened by knowledge of the Act to become advocates and campaigners against such practices.
Back to Mrs Kumbaya, for those concerned about her and what must have happened to her after she ended up on the street. They can heave a sigh of relief that the good Lord sent his angel in the form of the Chinwe Bode-Akinwande Foundation (CBA Foundation) and they took her off the street. Mrs Kumbaya now lives in an apartment rented for her by the Foundation, which also supplied her a mattress, other household items and food stuff.
The CBA Foundation, founded in 2015, the same year the VAPP Act was enacted, is a strong advocate for the enforcement of the Act. Along other civil society groups, it is pushing for the domestication of the Act in states of the federation that are yet to enact a similar act. Rigorous enforcement of the VAPP law across the federation will undoubtedly accelerate the mission of the Foundation, which is to promote “the protection of [underprivileged] widows and their vulnerable children in Nigeria, to promote immediate and lasting hope, confidence and courage in their lives.” The Foundation pursues its mission under its 5-point agenda of women empowerment/capacity building, health intervention, nutrition, quality basic education and a self-employment scheme.
This piece is not intended to demonise in-laws. The writer is himself an in-law by multiples. It is to call for a change of heart and attitude in society, particularly among in-laws, towards widows, knowing that we, our mothers, daughters, neighbours, friends are or could become widows. In-laws should join public-spirited people across the country in supporting the CBA Foundation in its advocacy for enforcement of the VAPP law and in providing succour for underprivileged widows and their vulnerable children.
There are many Mrs Kumbayas out there but the resources and reach of angels such as CBA Foundation are limited. Men and women of goodwill, including in-laws who have now seen the light, can extend the Foundation’s resources and reach by supporting it in its mission. Contact the Foundation today by sending an email to them at: cbafoundationng@gmail.com.
The 2026 Globacom-sponsored Ofala Festival in Onitsha, Anambra State, commenced in spectacular fashion on Wednesday with a vibrant Youth Carnival organised by the Onitsha Ado Youth Council (OYC), heralding the commencement of a celebration in which cultural heritage, youthful exuberance and royal tradition converge in magnificent harmony.
The carnival featured an array of cultural groups, including the Otu Odu Onitsha, Egwu Odu and Agbalanze, whose members, resplendent in elaborate traditional regalia, danced through the streets of Inland Town, Onitsha, in honour of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe. Beyond its festive allure, the procession provided a compelling showcase of the rich cultural heritage, enduring customs and collective identity of the Onitsha people.
One of the most captivating highlights of the carnival was the imaginative manner in which young participants recreated the grandeur of Nigeria’s traditional institutions. Adorned in meticulously crafted costumes representing eminent traditional rulers, including the Obi of Onitsha, the Oba of Benin and the Ooni of Ife, the youths transformed the streets into a living tableau of royal splendour, underscoring the capacity of cultural expression to bridge generations and keep ancestral traditions alive.
Following the street procession, the participants converged on the old Ime Obi, along St Stephen Anglican Church Road, where fashion parades and a variety of competitions among the participating groups added further colour, excitement and creative expression to the festivities.
The Ofala celebrations will continue with the Iru Ofala on Friday, October 16, and the Azu Ofala on Saturday, October 17. A Royal Banquet, organised by Globacom in honour of Igwe Achebe, is scheduled for Wednesday, October 21, at the Ime Obi, Onitsha. The festivities will culminate in an Ofala Thanksgiving Service on Sunday, October 25, at St Stephen’s Anglican Church.
In a statement, Globacom said its enduring association with the Ofala Festival reflected a corporate philosophy that recognises culture, alongside connectivity, as a vital instrument of national development.
“Ofala is far more than an annual cultural celebration; it is a living testament to identity, continuity and collective aspiration. It embodies the enduring spirit of a people, preserving the wisdom of their past while illuminating the possibilities of their future.
“Our sustained partnership with this magnificent institution reflects our conviction that preserving our heritage and advancing society are not competing imperatives, but mutually reinforcing pillars of a progressive nation. Culture provides the roots from which collective identity draws its strength, even as innovation creates new pathways to shared prosperity.
“This is the essence of Globacom’s clarion call, ‘Never Settle for Less’: to honour what is worthy, preserve what is precious and continually aspire to something greater,” the company added.
The National Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC), Felix Muoka, has insisted that Nigeria and Nigerians are better off than ever before, saying the party will win the 2027 presidential election based on its positive records.
Muoka said the APC is working hard to secure voters’ support, adding that the party would not take Nigerians’ votes for granted.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, Thursday, Muoka said the party’s preparations and campaign efforts are aimed at securing as many votes as possible in the next general elections.
He said: “Qualitatively speaking, our country is better. Nigerians are better today than they have ever been. Is there a country that has transited from this depressed economy, like we have had for decades, to that level of prosperity that didn’t go through these stages?
“Nigerians also understand that. So what the president has done is to give this country a fighting chance, not just at recovery, but at building the prospects for sustainable prosperity.”
On the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, he said: “What you saw today and what we’ve been up to is really taking ourselves seriously. If we thought this was all said and done, we wouldn’t put in this level of energy and work in an effort to really get to the last vote within the electorate. We are not taking this for granted. We’re taking it very seriously. I’m sure that if our party was docile and we were doing nothing to campaign or put out our information, you would also bring me here to say that we had been very docile. We’re a political party.
“We are a party for a reason. We are in this to compete with other political parties and to win the support of Nigerians. Since 2023, there’s a reason that our party has been very successful. Since the last general elections, we’ve won fantastically all elections in which we have contested. There’s a reason for that. It’s because we prepare. We do our homework.
“Nigerians bought in and voted for our party massively in 2023. We won that election, even though there are elements who want to claim that they won without evidence. But we won that election without question. As I said a few minutes ago, in every other election that has been called since then, Nigerians voted, not Indians. Nigerians voted in all the other elections since 2023. We won by upwards of 90 per cent.
“Let me remind you that the APC is the governing party in this country, put in office by Nigerians. Already, the answer to your question has been codified in an election in which the APC is governing, not just at the centre, but in so many states in our country.”
On the APC’s chances in 2027, he said: “We will win the election. We are working hard to win the election. I think that Nigerians are going to stand tall, shoulder to shoulder with the APC to win the next election.”
Masked thieves broke into a warehouse in Cortona, Italy and made off with around 30,000 bottles of wine from the prestigious Marchesi Antinori vineyard worth more than US$5 million (NZ$8.9m), in what the company says could rank among the largest wine thefts ever reported.
The thieves silenced the alarm system to carry out the daring heist, which took place at the weekend, but was only discovered on Monday when workers arrived to prepare the wine for export, Antinori’s CEO Renzo Cotarella told CNN on Friday.
The stolen wines were all from 2023 and include some of the winery’s most sought-after labels that retail for between €150 and €500 ($299 and $998) internationally.
“Solaia, and Guado al Tasso, and Tignanello are the most icon(ic) wines we have,” said Cotarella, describing them as category-defining examples of the famous “Super Tuscan” red wines of the region. Between 60,000 and 70,000 bottles of Solaia are produced each year, and the thieves took around 10,000 bottles.
No arrests have yet been made. Cortona police said they were conducting an extensive manhunt, but would not say whether they believe the two trucks used to steal the wine were still in Italy.
“Given the scale of the theft, both in terms of the number of bottles stolen and their estimated market value, the incident may rank among the largest wine thefts ever reported,” Marchesi Antinori said in a statement. “The investigation by the competent authorities is ongoing, as are the assessments required to determine the precise extent of the theft.”
Cotarella said the company is urging consumers not to purchase these wines from unknown sellers, and to report it if any appear on the market. Because the wine was in the warehouse to be shipped out, it was boxed and packaged, making it easier for the thieves to remove.
The heist follows a string of other wine thefts. Last month 3000 bottles of Barolo worth around €400,000 were stolen from the Conterno Fantino vineyard in Piedmont. It is unclear if the thefts are connected.
Marchesi Antinori was founded in 1385 and is currently run by the 26th generation of the family. It exports to 170 countries and has annual revenues of around €265 million.
Cotarella said he believes the wine will be found. “Two trucks cannot just disappear. I remain always positive,” he said.
CNN
