Tension has erupted in Anambra State as the Okolo family of Alor, Idemili South LGA, publicly disowned two purported marriages involving their sons — Mr Nonso Michael Okolo and Mr Arinze Norbet Okolo — alleging the unions were organised without their consent and are therefore “null, void and of no customary effect.”
Through a legal notice issued on August 20, 2025, by their attorneys, the Okolos firmly dissociated themselves from any traditional or civil marriage plans between Mr Nonso Michael Okolo and Miss Adaeze Nwajagu of Umuchukwu Town (Orumba South LGA), as well as Mr Arinze Norbet Okolo and Miss Chinaza Isabella Enemno of Ogboji Town in the same LGA.
The letter declared that the family neither approved nor participated in any bride-price negotiations, stating that any such alliances remain invalid under Igbo customary law. They accused the families of the prospective brides of attempting to stage-manage marriage rites in the absence of the grooms, who are both reportedly based abroad.
Warning of serious legal consequences, the Okolos claimed there had been covert moves to lure their sons back home under “false pretences” as part of a marriage entrapment plot. They vowed to hold anyone involved “personally and criminally liable” should any such attempt succeed.
Copies of the legal disclaimer have been sent to the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, town union executives in Alor, Umuchukwu, and Ogboji, as well as local government security networks. The family insists their decision is final, citing deep-seated differences in values, beliefs, and “fundamental incompatibility” with the said brides.
Sources within the community say the development has triggered shock and embarrassment, with residents debating whether the proposed marriages are genuine or fabricated. Meanwhile, the intended brides’ families are yet to publicly respond, although insiders claim they are consulting their elders and may issue a counter-statement.
As the saga unfolds, some cultural leaders have called on the Catholic Diocese and traditional rulers in Orumba to intervene before the matter spirals into a full-blown inter-community rift, describing it as an unprecedented public rejection over marital alliances in recent memory.
