JUST IN: Benue community Reduces bride price at N50,000, outlaws “barbaric and harsh” practices

The Idoma Area Traditional Council (IATC) has pegged the traditional bride price at 50,000 naira and has outlawed a range of practices deemed “barbaric and harsh.”

The decision, the council said on Wednesday, will lead to cultural progress in Idoma land, Benue State.

The council has fixed the bride price at a reasonable N50,000 so as to ease the financial burden on grooms and their families. Consequently, all forms of stringent conditions, stipulations, and expectations associated with traditional marriage are removed and prohibited according to the new law by the IATC. This, the council said, comes after extensive consultations with rulers, political leaders, and most importantly, the Idoma people themselves.

Inheritance laws have been edited to prioritise the deceased’s spouse and children unless a written will specifies otherwise. This move empowers women and protects the vulnerable within the family structure.

“For the avoidance of doubt, where the deceased is survived by wife(s) and children, such children and wife(s) shall have the right of first consideration, in the apportioning of the inheritance, in the absence of a Written Will.”

Burial practices have also seen a revision. The new law allows wives to be buried alongside their husbands. Exceptions are made only in exceptional cases, such as when a woman had children with multiple husbands so that all families can participate in the rites.

The council also banned indiscriminate burials within residential areas. Communities are now mandated to provide designated burial grounds, to show respect for the deceased and for public health considerations.