By Adebisi Onanuga
The Lagos Administrator General and Public Trustee, Mrs Omotola Rotimi on Thursday warned that the State Government will not tolerate any form of abuse directed at widows in any part of the State.
She gave the warning during a Traffic Radio programme: “Your Side Mirror” with Victor Oteri” in Lagos.
Mrs. Rotimi said that the era when family members push widows out of their husband’s property and subject them to all forms of debasing cultural practices is over in Lagos State.
She warned the perpetrators of violence against widows to desist or be ready to face the full wrath of the law, adding that the idea of some people hiding under the guise of culture to maltreat widows is against the law and will no longer be tolerated.
She called for an end to domestic and economic abuse against widows such as forceful eviction from their late husband’s estate, cutting them off from family businesses.
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The Administrator General who lamented the rising spate of abuse against widows in the country disclosed that not only are widows (who are statutorily married) entitled to 1/3 of their late husband’s estate but that even female children have as much right to inheritance as their male counterpart. And as such, disinheriting these ones is unlawful.
She urged widows to know their rights and seek redress when those rights are infringed upon by coming to the Office of the Administrator-General and Public Trustee in the Ministry of Justice, Alausa Secretariat.
“Perhaps, you are there and you are saying ‘my husband died without making a will and his family wants me and the children out of the house, what can I do?’
“You can contact the office of the Administrator-General and Public Trustee who will intervene to ensure that the right beneficiaries have quick access to their inheritance, ” the Administrator-General said.
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