Anambra Women Affairs Commissioner Decries Maltreatment Of Women, Cautions Against Jungle Justice…

Anambra state government cannot allow anybody take laws into their hands in the state or allow the state become a haven where women will be molested and subjected to indecent treatment says the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs Ify Obinabo.

Mrs Obinabo said this at her office in Awka while fielding questions on the banishment of a woman, Nneka Uzoh accused by her kinsmen of pouring sand into a food meant for public consumption in Umunankwo, Ogbaru Local Government Area.

Mrs Obinabo who decried the maltreatment of the woman, said from the investigations conducted by the ministry, the said woman was not given fair hearing by her transducers and only subjected to the treatment because she is a woman.

She said that Anambra state remains a law-abiding society and as such people must not take the laws into their hands by engaging in jungle justice even in a situation where any one is seen to have committed an abomination or crime.

Nneka on her part claimed that it was the sand she wanted to pour on her younger brother for annoying her, that mistakenly fell into one of the delicacies meant for the people.

She said the incident infuriated the brothers and they used their influence in the community to organize the banishment.

Contradicting her claims, Nneka’s mother, Mrs Catherine Uzoh who said she was part of those that cooked the said food said that Nneka poured the sand into the food without any provocation and that it was not a mistake targeted at her younger brother, Anozie but a deliberate act.

The banishment of Nneka Uzoh was another issue that threw up a disagreement on how it was carried out.

While the Palace Secretary, Mr Valentine Okwuosa said the action was endorsed by the community and the palace as a deterrent to others, the President General of the Community, Mr Tochukwu Udeze disagreed and said the community was never aware of the incidence, that if the community and the palace were aware, instead of two masquerades that allegedly banished the woman from the community, they would have been six masquerades representing the six villages in the community.

Meanwhile, the Anambra State Ministry of Women and Social Welfare as at the time of this report, invited the parties to the Ministry on the issue where it was only Nneka, her sister, Nkiruka and President General of the community, Mr Udeze headed the call.

The Ministry says the matter will be taken to court to determine whether the villagers acted within their powers or were extrajudicial in the banishment.