Widow forced to drink husband’s bath water in Imo State
A disturbing incident has been reported in Isieke community, Awo‑Omamma, Oru East Local Government Area of Imo State, where a widow identified as Chika Ndubuisi was allegedly locked inside her deceased husband’s ambulance and forced to drink the water used to wash his corpse after being accused by his siblings of killing him.
According to a statement by the state governor’s office, the husband, Odinakachi Ndubuisi, died after a protracted illness. His female siblings reportedly insisted the widow must drink the bath-water used for his corpse as a ritual to prove her innocence. The widow was reportedly confined in the ambulance transporting the body while the demand was made.
The claim sparked outrage and prompted intervention by the state government. Hope Uzodimma, the Governor of Imo State, condemned the action and ordered an immediate investigation into the matter. He described the practice as a harmful widowhood tradition that “will not be allowed in Imo State”.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs in the state, Nkechi Ugwu, alongside security operatives and representatives of civil-society groups, intervened at the burial site, rescued the widow and ensured the funeral proceeded without the forced ritual.
This incident shines a light on the persistence of deeply harmful traditional practices, even where laws exist to prohibit them. Under the Imo State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law No. 8 of 2021, forcing a widow to drink water used in the washing of her husband’s corpse is a punishable offence.
