Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Anambra State House of Assembly has been forced to issue an urgent denial after a wave of viral social media reports claimed it had passed a “new burial law” restricting the presentation of condolence gifts such as cows and goats and banning midweek burials. In a terse but unambiguous statement released on Monday, May 18, 2026, the legislature described the reports as “false, misleading, and a misrepresentation of facts”, stressing that the 8th Assembly has not passed any new burial legislation and that no such bill has been introduced, debated, or approved.
The Speaker of the Anambra State House of Representatives, Somtochukwu Nkem Udeze, was unequivocal in his dismissal of the viral claims. He explained that the existing burial regulatory framework being mischievously referenced by some media platforms was enacted into law in 2019, long before the inauguration of the present 8th Assembly. “The 8th Anambra State House of Assembly did not pass any new burial law. No such bill was introduced, debated or passed by the current Assembly. The existing burial regulatory framework being mischievously referenced by some media platforms was enacted into law in 2019, long before the inauguration of the present 8th Assembly,” a statement released by the legislature read.
While the Assembly’s denial was swift, the confusion surrounding the viral reports is understandable given the state government’s active enforcement of the 2019 law in recent years. The Anambra State Burial and Funeral Ceremonial Control Law, which was originally passed on April 9, 2019, during the administration of former Governor Willie Obiano, already contained provisions that sparked significant public discourse at the time. The existing law mandates that burial ceremonies must be completed within one day, restricts the duration a corpse can remain in a mortuary to two months, and prohibits the blocking of roads, the use of gunshots, and the destruction of property during funeral rites.
In October 2023, current Governor Chukwuma Soludo further tightened the enforcement of this existing law by issuing an executive directive that effectively banned the use of billboards, banners, posters, and brochures for burials and funerals. The governor also outlawed the practice of wake‑keeping in the state, insisting that burials should be a solemn affair without the extravagant spending and elaborate displays that had become customary. These actions by the executive arm appear to have contributed to the confusion, with some social media users mistakenly attributing the governor’s 2023 enforcement actions to a new legislative bill.
Despite the Assembly’s clarification, the political and cultural debate over the regulation of burials in Anambra State is far from settled. The existing 2019 law has faced several legal challenges, including a suit filed by a human rights lawyer who argued that the legislature lacked the authority to regulate private burial expenses, insisting that citizens should have the liberty to decide how to spend their money on funeral ceremonies.
As the 2027 election cycle heats up, the burial law controversy has taken on a partisan dimension. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has seized on the social media confusion, accusing Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration of attempting to impose a new “oppressive” tax on grieving families. In a pointed statement on Monday, the APC claimed that the state government was planning to force residents to pay N1,500 before burying their dead, an allegation the government vehemently denies.
For now, the Anambra State House of Assembly has put the matter to rest, asserting that the 2019 law remains the only operative legislation governing burials in the state. However, given the deep cultural significance of burial ceremonies in Igbo land and the increasing political use of the issue, the debate is unlikely to die down anytime soon.
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