An Ethical Evaluation of Idoma Women’s Inheritance Culture

The Idoma people of Benue State in North Central Nigeria are known to be people with varied cultural practices just like many other societies in Nigeria. However, the cultural practice of interest in this paper is the one on inheritance as it particularly relates to the female gender. According to the practice, women do not have any share in the property of the family in which they belong and also contributed in it’s acquisition. The case is worse if they become widows as they are subjected to all obnoxious widowhood practices. This culture of denying, women inheritance rights is a reflection of their notion of womanhood where the philosophy of patriarchy holds sway and women are subjected to a near servile status. It is on this premise that this paper which is an ethical evaluation of Idoma women’s inheritance culture was written. In doing this, the researcher employed qualitative research method to obtain vital information through oral interviews and existing literature to highlight as contained herein, the various responses given by the different categories of people interviewed. Those interviewed included custodians of Idoma culture such as chiefs and heads of families. Women, especially widows, who are mainly at the receiving ends were interviewed and some civil servants such as principal women Development Officers and Local Government Social Welfare Officers in the four Local Government Areas selected as the case study were interviewed. The findings from the responses as to why Idoma women are denied inheritance rights include fear of widows carrying the properties of their late husbands’ to new homes in the event of remarriage which is similar to the reason advanced for denying spinsters inheritance rights, accusation for being responsible for the husbands’ deaths, revenge for unruly behavior of the wives. The various responses were subjected to ethical evaluation by the researcher to determine whether the actions were right or wrong in