THE MENACE OF FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION IN NIGERIA
Samuel Bolaji
Female genital mutilation (FGM) – popularly misnamed “circumcision of the girl child” – is rampant in Nigeria. With the country’s massive population, it is believed to have the highest number of FGM cases worldwide; globally an estimated 115–130 million women have been circumcised. In Nigeria, the national prevalence stands at 41 % among girls and adult women.
The World Health Organization (WHO), United Nation’s Children’s Fund, UNICEF, African Union, and numerous women’s rights organisations and advocates are working intensively to eradicate this “dastardly act” across Nigeria, Africa and beyond.
Yet there is still no federal law banning FGM in Nigeria.
The practice is most prevalent in the South‑West, South‑South, South‑East and parts of the northern states, deeply rooted in age‑old customs, traditions and lineage beliefs.
It has resulted in countless deaths, infections, psychological trauma and life‑threatening injuries to girls and women, forcing many families to flee the country or go into hiding to escape the “wicked tradition” and “humiliation of the female gender.”
Reported cases:
- Mr. Najeem Ologun (family of 3) from Ibadan, Oyo State, fled for their safety.
- Mr. Adekunle Adebayo (family of 3) from Owo, Ondo State.
- Ifunanya Eze (family of 6) from Okigwe, Imo State.
- Mr. Stephen Ologbosere (family of 5) from Akure ,Ondo State based in Abuja, who vanished since December 2024.
- Mr. Eteruri Ukpenotha Ofon (family of 4) from Delta State.
- Many more unnamed families have gone underground.
FGM is an unhealthy, traditional practice inflicted on girls and women in this modern age and is widely recognized as a violation of human rights, anchored in cultural beliefs and perceptions that have persisted for decades.
The solution: concerted, community‑based efforts are needed to end the menace by raising awareness of its inherent dangers and the benefits of abandoning it, for Nigeria and the world.
Mr. Samuel Bolaji is a Public Affairs Commentator based in Bauchi, Bauchi state.
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