Anambra State government through the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare Commissioner, Ify Obinabo, over the weekend, intervened and ensured the burial of late seminarian Samuel Obinna Nwankwo, after a long period of family crisis.
The intervention was as a result of complaint made by the mother of the deceased, Mrs Margaret Nwankwo, that her in-laws and some members of the Nwankwo family had refused that her late son be buried in his father’s compound.
The deceased, Samuel Nwankwo, a 26 year old and a native of Ollor Nawgu in Dunukofia local government area of the state, is the first son of late Mr John Nwankwo, who was also the first son of the Nwankwo dynasty.
Despite the Commissioner’s earlier mediation with all the parties involved in the case to let peace reign and hold the burial, some family members stood their ground that the boy must be buried outside his father’s compound, alleging that they now own the place.
According to the deceased’s mother, the husband’s siblings asked her to bury her son outside the compound or go to the church cemetery which she said is not right and demanded that her son be buried in his father’s compound.
She however disclosed that the husband’s relatives had refused that her son be buried in her father’s compound, the reason she quickly ran to state government for help.
Mrs Nwankwo also revealed that her son’s corpse has been at the mortuary for eight months majorly due to the said reason and other family issues.
“Since my husband died, they have been maltreating me.
“They even insisted that my husband will not be buried here and later, they carved out one small portion where they laid him to rest.
“Now, my son died and they refused that he will be buried in his father’s compound. What manner of wickedness is this?
“I really don’t know what I and my family did to them that they will be treating me this way,” the widow wailed.
Speaking after the burial of the deceased, the Women and Social Welfare Commissioner, who was present at Nawgu with security operatives to ensure the smooth burial of late Samuel, used the opportunity to urge all well meaning ndị Anambra to always stand for justice and resist evil, noting that death is what every man must pay.
“I am here today on behalf of the state government to ensure that this young man is laid to rest.
“The Nwankwo family must understand that only the truth can set this family free and nothing else.
“As government, we urge the family members to begin to seek peace. Enmity is an ill-wind that blows no one no good. If you want all these trouble to end, now is the time to embrace the truth.
“Remember that the more you allow this issue to linger without resolving it, the more difficult it becomes,” the commissioner pleaded with the family members.
Meanwhile, the home church of the deceased, St Michael’s Catholic Church Nawgu was absent at the burial, as they claimed they cannot perform the burial ceremony if the family is not united.
The burial was however, conducted by the villagers led by the brother of the deceased Mr Arinze Nwankwo.
In an interview, Merrsrs Arinze and Daniel, brothers to the deceased said the Nwankwo extended family has been having issues for a long period of time but never thought that they would insist that their brother be buried outside the compound or at the cemetery.
They thanked the governor of Anambra state, Prof Chukwuma Soludo for appointing a dogged woman, Mrs Obinabo, whose stand on the truth is unshakable and heaved a sigh of relief that their brother can now rest in peace.
One of the uncles of the deceased, Mr Nonyelum Emelie John who condemned the decision of some family members concerning the burial of late Samuel, revealed that the people behind the crisis were all raised and sponsored by late John Nwankwo, the father of late Samuel when he was alive.
