Anambra State government through the ministry of Women and Social Welfare has waded into the burial of late seminarian Samuel Nwankwo after a protracted family crisis.
The intervention followed complaint by deceased mother, Mrs Margaret Nwankwo stating that her in-laws and certain members of Nwankwo family had refused that her late son be buried in his father’s compound.
The deceased, 26 year old and a native of Ollor Nawgu in Dunukofia Local Government Area of the state was the first son of late Mr John Nwankwo who was also the first son of the Nwankwo dynasty.
According to Mrs Nwankwo, the husband’s siblings demanded that her son be buried outside the compound or the church cemetery which she declined to, insisting her son be buried in his father’s compound.
“My son’s corpse has been at the mortuary for eight months simply because I insisted my son must be buried in his father’s compound. This is why I quickly ran to state government for help,” she said.
Reacting, Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo who was present at Nawgu with security operatives to ensure smooth burial of the deceased, urged people of the state to insist on justice and resist evil, describing death as price all mortal must pay.
“Despite my 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, insisting they now own the place,” she said.
Meanwhile, St Michael’s Catholic Church Nawgu was absent at the burial claiming it cannot perform the burial ceremony without unity among the family despite all reconciliatory moves by the Commissioner.
The burial was conducted by the villagers led by the brother of the deceased Mr Arinze Nwankwo.
Speaking to newsmen, brothers to the deceased, Arinze Nwankwo and Daniel Nwankwo said the Nwankwo’s extended family has been having issues for a long period of time but never thought they would insist that their brother be buried outside the compound or at the cemetery.
They thanked the Governor Chukwuma Soludo for appointing a dogged Women Affairs Commissioner whose stance on truth is unshakable and heaved a sigh of relief that their brother could rest in peace.
One of the uncles of the deceased, Nonyelum John who condemned decision of some family members over the burial of late Samuel, revealed that those behind the crisis were raised and sponsored by late John Nwankwo, father of late Samuel when he was alive.
Sympathizers who learnt the deceased’s grandfather and father were all first born male in the family and were buried in the compound, wondered why some parties refused that late Samuel who was also first male child of his late father be buried in the compound.
