A Nigerian lady has issued a strong warning against polygamy after revealing how her friend’s late father has remained unburied nearly five years after his death due to a bitter family feud between his wives and children over his property.
The revelation was shared by the lady identified as @Anambra_girl on X, formerly known as Twitter.
According to her, the man was married to two wives, and since his passing, both women and their children have been locked in an intense dispute over his properties.
She explained that the disagreement has prevented any burial arrangements from taking place, leaving the man’s body unlaid to rest for years.
“You see polygamy? Avoid it if you can. My family friend’s dad died almost five years ago and they can’t bury him yet because the two wives with their children are still dragging for the property,” she wrote.
She added that the properties have fallen into disrepair as no agreement has been reached.
Even the will he left behind, in which he appointed some friends to work alongside his lawyer to oversee the distribution of the estate, has not been executed.
“His properties are left to ruins because the family he left behind can’t come to agree. Even the will he wrote on how to share the properties, he put some of his friends in charge to help his lawyer to share the properties but still they couldn’t do it till date,” she said.
The post sparked a wave of reactions from social media users, many of whom shared their own concerns and experiences with polygamous family disputes.
See some reactions below:
@OnyeAguata: “Nobody in the entire family ever loved the man. So nobody ever said they should set their greed aside and bury the man first?????”
@MeduFavour: “Pls don’t advise anybody😂who get body make he or she put body,they will feel it.”
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Further commentary on the thread highlighted how prolonged inheritance disputes can damage family assets and legacies. Several contributors noted that unused houses and farmland can quickly deteriorate without regular upkeep, reducing the value of the estate that the family ultimately hopes to divide.
Legal practitioners who responded to the online discussion recommended that the family consider mediation or an urgent court intervention to preserve the estate and resolve the burial impasse. They pointed out that courts can issue orders to protect property pending the outcome of probate proceedings, and they urged the family to present the original will and any relevant documentation to a probate registry as soon as possible.
Community elders and local leaders, according to some commentators, often play a role in mediating such disputes in many parts of Nigeria. Several users suggested that an impartial town or village council mediation might break the deadlock more quickly than prolonged litigation, particularly where emotions are high and trust between parties is low.
Others reflected on the social and emotional toll of leaving a relative unburied. Religious leaders who weighed in emphasised the cultural importance of timely burial rites, saying that delaying final interment can deepen grief and create ongoing spiritual and psychological distress for relatives and neighbours alike.
Some respondents recommended practical steps: securing the deceased’s properties to prevent further vandalism, photographing and inventorying all assets, and engaging a neutral solicitor to lodge the will and seek immediate administrative orders to allow burial while the wider estate matter is handled separately.
A number of social media users used the post to debate the wider merits and risks of polygamy. Proponents of monogamy argued that a single-spouse household can avoid certain kinds of inheritance complexity, while supporters of polygamy cautioned against blaming the marital system alone and urged better estate planning by families with multiple spouses.
Several commenters shared similar cautionary tales where unresolved estates caused years of legal wrangling, sometimes culminating in the sale of family land at reduced prices to pay legal costs. Those contributors urged readers to draft clear wills, register property titles, and discuss estate plans openly with all potential heirs to reduce the likelihood of posthumous disputes.
Practical advice from legal commentators also included ensuring witnesses to the will are traceable, that the document is properly executed according to local law, and that executors named in the will are willing and able to act. Where executors are unwilling, they can renounce, and courts may appoint alternative administrators to prevent paralysis of estate management.
The original poster, @Anambra_girl, responded to some reactions by urging compassion and faster action rather than prolonged social-media debate. She reiterated her call for the family to prioritise burying the deceased and to seek swift legal or communal mediation to stop further decay of the properties.
As the conversation continued online, a handful of users offered to connect the family with local mediators and legal clinics that provide pro bono probate assistance. Whether these offers materialise into action and bring the long-delayed burial to a resolution remains to be seen.
The thread serves as a reminder of the practical consequences that can follow when clear estate planning is not in place, and it has prompted renewed calls for public education on wills, probate procedures and family dispute resolution mechanisms—particularly in communities where polygamous family structures are common.
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