After my husband’s death, a relative was asked to inherit me – Venue widow.

Perpetua Oche, a widow who lost her husband nine years ago while they were resident in Lagos State, in this interview shares her story about…

 

Perpetua Oche, a widow who lost her husband nine years ago while they were resident in Lagos State, in this interview shares her story about ‘wife inheritance’ traditional practices still going on in modern society. Oche, a mouthpiece for many other widows in Benue State today facing all manners of ill-treatment following their husbands’ demise, speaks on the need to abolish these harmful widowhood practices which she fortunately managed to overcome.

-Her experience after her husband died

“The man I married was from Delta State, but I’m from the Idoma tribe in Benue State. He passed away nine years ago. We had a daughter. Due to some family complications, my dead husband was not laid to rest until six months after he passed away in August 2013. Because that was where we lived, I had to remain there from that August till October, when I went to Lagos to transport my possessions. As a result, when I returned in October, I had to move back into the family home and find a way to care for my daughter until his funeral in February of the following year.”

-After she was asked if there’s any odd traditional rites she performed over her husband demise.

“I learned that some customary procedures needed to be followed after my late husband was buried in 2014. I was brought before the group of elderly people along with my infant, and I was instructed that I had to wed one of the family members.”

“When they told me what was about to happen, I responded that I couldn’t do such a thing. They then said that if I wasn’t going to comply with their request, I would have to return the dowry.

“However, before that happened, God used one of them to tell me what was going to happen. Thankfully, my parents had warned me not to quarrel with them. So I inquired as to the amount of the dowry.

“When asked how much I would leave behind, the person who would inherit me mentioned a specific sum, but the women of the house objected, saying it was too much.

“He then stated a sum of money that I had on me, and I took the cash out and gave it to him. Then the oldest man in the house prayed for my daughter and I before releasing us to leave. They asked that we get malt beverages so that the elders might pray for me while they drank them.”