*Bans sales of land, India Hemps
Towards preserving marriage customs and boosting the value of female folks in the contemporary society, the people of Ndieze Inyimegu Autonomous community in the Izzi local government area of Ebonyi State have given Easter 2025 as a deadline for the clearance of unpaid dowries by men who married their daughters.
The people gave the one year ultimatum on Saturday 8th June 2024 to men who married their daughters without paying dowries to rectify the situation before Easter, Sunday 20th April 2025 or risk facing the wrath of the community.
The community people described it as a crime if any man marries a woman without paying a dowry and expressed their readiness to preserve their marriage customs and encourage women's value in the area.
The village heads of the community resolved to enact the decision when visited their new traditional ruler, His Royal Highness (HRH) Eze Hyacinth Ogbonna Nwokpor yesterday.
According to a press release issued by the Special Assistant to the traditional ruler on media and publicity, Mr Jonathan Nwokpor, the village heads decreed that anyone who marries a woman in their community without paying dowry commits a crime.
"The village heads decreed that anyone who marries a woman without paying dowry commits a crime. They have given offenders until Easter 2025 to rectify the situation or face community action," Nwokpor stated.
The community also resolved to prohibit the smoking of Indian hemp and land selling in all villages within Ndieze.
"Anyone found in possession of or smoking Indian Hemp will face severe consequences.
"The village heads agreed to put a halt to land selling in all communities of Ndieze immediately. Any individual found violating this law will be subject to severe punishment.
"These resolutions demonstrate the village heads' commitment to maintaining peace, order, and progress in Ndieze. The ban on Indian Hemp aims to protect the youth and community from the harmful effects of drug abuse.
"The prohibition on land selling seeks to preserve communal lands and prevent disputes arising from unauthorized sales.
"The dowry payment resolution ensures that marriage customs are respected and women are valued," he further asserted.
He also stated that the visit and resolutions by the village heads highlighted the importance of community leadership and collaboration in addressing local challenges, saying "Eze Hyacinth Nwokpor's wise guidance and the village heads' proactive approach will undoubtedly contribute to a brighter future for Ndieze Inyimegu Autonomous Community.
Stressing the need to address mobility challenges in their work, he noted that the gathering of the village heads with the new traditional ruler would showcase the strength of community unity and collective decision-making for the overall development of the people in the area.
