Lawmaker, Maria Ude Nwachi, gives update on 70 year old widow banished from Ebonyi community for having sex with 30 year old man

Last week, there were reports on social media about a 70-year-old woman who was caught having sex with her 30-year-old lover inside her late husband's home in Amuzu Nkpogoro community in Ebonyi state. The elderly woman was later paraded alongside her lover and then banished from the community.

Maria Ude Nwachi who is a member of the state House of Assembly intervened in the matter and here is an update which she gave via her Facebook page. She wrote 

Parading of people unacceptable - Essa Ehugbo.

The member representing Afikpo North East in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Mrs Maria Ude Nwachi (Afikpo Chic), on the 22nd July 2017, complained to Essa Traditional Council of Ehugho, the highest decision making body in Ehugbo (Afikpo), about a 70 year old widow, accused of sleeping with a man in her late husband’s home at Amuzu Nkpogoro, Afikpo, and paraded with the man round the villages; with youths chanting disgraceful songs behind them, thereby creating a scene which attracted condemnation from several quarters, describing such as obnoxious, uncivilized, and other adjectives.

Following the report, the Ekpuke Essa Traditional ruling body on 26 July 2017 at Ulubi Eke Ehugbo deliberated on the matter and stated that the normal thing as Ehugbo tradition demands is that the culprit is liable to atone her misdeed with a goat. The above process, the Essa said is the tradition and not the dehumanising act of parading the culprit. They also advised widows cannot hold themselves, they should re- marry or alternatively pack out from their late husband house.

THE VERDICT IS: No community should parade anyone again and if they ever do, they would be fined N100,000 and another fine of N5000 will be given again to every one in the community who allowed such act. They stated the act of the said community is not acceptable. They frowned at the bad public image the incident gave the town of Afikpo.