BREAKING: Och’Idoma orders women should be buried in husband’s place, crashes bride price to N50k

The Idoma Area Traditional Council led by Agabaidu Elaigwu John Odogbo (Och’idoma V) has issued transformative directives to reshape cultural norms within the Idoma community. 

After extensive consultations with leaders, both political and traditional, the council has taken a stand against what it described a outdated practices, deeming them as self-imposed, barbaric, and harsh.

The key resolutions are as follows:

a) Abolition of Costly Burial Rites: The imposition of exorbitant costs for burial rites is now prohibited in Idoma land. Families are encouraged to conduct burial ceremonies within affordable means and complete the process within two to three weeks from the date of death.

b) Inheritance Rights of Children and Wives: The practice of denying children and wives their rightful inheritance is now forbidden. In cases where a written will is absent, the surviving children and wives have the primary right to inherit the deceased’s property.

c) Burial of the Deceased’s Wife: It is now mandated that the deceased’s wife be buried in her husband’s place. Exceptions may be considered if the wife had children with more than one man during her lifetime, allowing for burial in her father’s place under special circumstances.

d) Unified Bride Price and Marriage Rites: The traditional bride price in Idoma land has been set at a fixed amount of N50,000. All stringent conditions and expectations associated with traditional marriage are hereby removed and prohibited.

e) Designation of Community Burial Grounds: To curb indiscriminate burials in residential areas, every community is required to designate a specific Burial Ground within each village or hamlet by December 31, 2024. Burials within or around private compounds must obtain the Traditional Ruler’s permit and be marked and secured accordingly.