Readers say it is barbaric to subject a man to indecency in event of his wife's death

74% of Pulse Nigeria Poll voters say this is a barbaric custom while 26% believe he should go ahead to prove his innocence.

Read his letter here:

"My name is Eze and I am from Anambra State. As I write this, I am in serious mourning: my late wife on the other hand, and the persecution I am going through in the hands of her family.

I met my late wife, , an Akwa Ibom lady, about eight years ago and started living together and we had three children. Though we were not officially married, I had gone to her hometown in Oron Local Government Area of the state, to introduce myself and also make my intentions known to them.

I had promised them that I would come and do the necessary marriage rites when I was financially capable but it was not to be as my business crumbled shortly after that. My wife's family kept getting on my neck to come and do the right thing and even when I told them things were not very okay with me and that they should give me time, they kept at it.

Late last year, Gladys fell sick in the seventh month of her pregnancy and as we moved from one hospital to another, doctors said they could not find anything wrong with her. As a last option, I had to take her to a spiritual church where the prayer warriors tried all they could to save her but to no avail.

My wife died on January 1, 2016, with the baby already dead in her womb. I was shocked when, two minutes after Gladys gave up the ghost, my phone rang and it was one of her uncles who asked me how my wife was doing.

I told him she was fine but he told me clearly that I should be ready to eat her corpse if anything happened to her. I did not tell any of them that my wife was sick but how they got to know was a big surprise to me.

Later that day, I had to call them to break the news to them and instead of even sympathising with me over the loss of my wife and child, they told me I must marry the corpse of my wife before she could be buried.

I went to their place last month with my family to discuss how I can bury my wife but they, instead, gave me a marriage list that ran into millions of naira. Aside the list, they also said I must drink the water they would be used to wash the body of my late wife to show that I did not kill her.

They have been insistent on this and with the body of my late wife in the mortuary, I don't know what to do.

Eze."

Is it right to subject a man whose wife died to drink the water used to wash her body to prove his innocence?

How Nigeria voted:

74% - No, it is a barbaric culture

26% - Yes, nothing would happen to him if he is innocent

How would you vote?