Widow Ifeoma Asonye has explained why she chose to marry another woman after the death of her husband, saying the decision was driven by pressure to preserve her late husband’s family lineage and protect family property.
Speaking on News Central TV on June 23, 2026, Asonye said her difficulties began after her husband’s death because she had only daughters. According to her, relatives of her late husband argued that she had no son to inherit the family’s assets, raising fears that the property she and her husband built together could be taken from her.
She alleged that her husband’s brother also laid claim to the property, insisting that inheritance should pass through a male heir. Asonye said adopting a child was not considered a viable solution because an adopted child would not be recognised as a legitimate heir under local customs.
To address the situation, she decided to marry a woman in the hope of producing a male child who would be accepted within the family and community as a rightful successor. She said she paid the bride price and completed the customary rites associated with the union.
“Simply adopting would lead others to question where the child came from. That’s why I married her. I paid her bride price, killed a goat. In the end, the girl claimed that a woman cannot marry another woman and left,” Asonye said.
She made the remarks while discussing the challenges widows face in parts of South-East Nigeria regarding inheritance and family succession.
