By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

A 34-year-old widow, Chioma Asomugha, a native of Ubahuekwem in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, has raised the alarm over her in-laws’ insistence that she must drink water used in bathing her late husband’s corpse.

She alleged that the brothers of her late husband, Charles, said she must drink the water to prove that she was not responsible for her husband’s death, insisting that she would not do that.

Mrs. Asomugha, who confirmed the report in a telephone interview, said that she and her late husband lived peacefully in Ojo area of Lagos before his death.

She said: “I have four children with my late husband and we lived at Ajangbadi, Ojo area of Lagos, before his demise.

“The burial is fixed for Monday June 14, but since we came home for the burial, the relatives of my husband forced me out of my matrimonial home.

“They insisted that before I will be allowed to come in that I will drink the water used in bathing my late husband’s corpse.”

The anguished widow disclosed that she has taken the matter to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Awka as well as her Oraifite people with a view to resolving the matter.

Confirming the incident, the Coordinator of NHRC in the state, Mrs Laura Ugwuanyi, described the action as obnoxious.

She said efforts made to handle the matter did not yield positive results as the family members were not cooperating.

However, a community leader in the area, Chief Gerald Nnabugwu, said that the leadership of the community was looking into the matter.

On his part, the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. C. Don Adinuba, also promised to intervene in the matter.

The President General of Ubahuekem Community, Mr Okey Chukwu, said he was in a meeting and could not give his reaction but promised to call back.

Efforts to reach him again failed at the time of filing this report as his phone was switched off.