Brother Battles Married Sister Over Landed Property Citing Igbo Tradition

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

 

There was a serious fight between siblings (a brother simply identified as Silva and his sister, Gift born of the same parent) over the ownership of a landed property Gift bought before she got married to her husband.

The fight, which has become a serious issue in their Eziagu hometown in Enugu State, have thrown the entire family into crises and remained unresolved because of culture and tradition of Igboland.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that Gift bought a parcel of land in Enugu some years ago before she got married and had her son, while Silva, who resides in United Kingdom, already has about three houses in the same Enugu City and also married with children.

However, trouble began when Gift concluded plans with the assistance of her husband to develop her land and Silva got wind of it and ordered her to stay clear from the land because the land now belong to their family.

Silva also directed his aides and security agents to ensure that Gift and her husband did not trespass on the land.

When Gift wanted to know why Silva or the family took such decision, she was told that the Igbo culture and tradition did not allow her to take any of her properties, especially land, to her husband’s house.

Her brother told her that once she’s married, the land automatically belong to their family and therefore she had no right over the property again.

When she insisted that she bought the land with her own money, Silva replied his sister that she should have as well married her husband without informing their family who married her out.

She was then told that the only condition that will make her take the possession of the land will be if she leaves her husband and return to the family.

P.M.EXPRESS investigation revealed that Silva might be right going by the Igbo culture and tradition.

According to findings, a woman does not inherit any property from the family.

Some of the Igbo leaders who did not want their names mentioned said despite civilization, there are still certain tradition and culture people still expected to respect including this particular one.

“The culture see women as those who will be married to their husbands and any property their husband have belong to them and their children,” a certain Igbo leader told P.M.EXPRESS.

It was gathered that Gift has been warned and threatened that if she near the land again, the family will see it as she has committed abomination and if anything happen to her in her husband’s house, such as death, her family will not come talk less of given her decent burial, while she will be banned from coming to the family for life.

However, P.M.EXPRESS could not reach Silva for his comment on the issue.