An Anambra widow has finally laid her husband to rest one year after his brother allegedly seized the corpse and blocked her access to their family compound.

The late Chief Sir Gabriel Odili George Ume-Ezeoke was buried in Amichi, Nnewi South LGA, following a court order enforced by officials of the Anambra State Government.

According to a statement issued on Thursday, December 4, 2025, by the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hon. Ify Obinabo, the remains of Chief Odili stayed in the mortuary for over a year because his brother refused to release the body or allow the widow into the compound.

Government representatives, led by Obinabo, alongside staff, friends, and some members of the Ume-Ezeoke family, supervised the burial.

In her condolence message, Obinabo urged the family to embrace peace, reminding them that death is not the end, but a passage to eternal rest.

Family members present expressed gratitude to the State Government for intervening and ensuring their brother was given a proper burial.

The widow, Mrs. Ume-Ezeoke, described her late husband—aged 76—as a generous, peaceful man who touched many lives.