A resident of Ogun State, Ogunkoya Dada, has raised the alarm over the forceful circumcision of his daughter, born in January 2025.
According to Dada, since the child’s birth, there has been continuous pressure from relatives to subject her to female circumcision—a practice he and his wife have firmly rejected. Despite making their stance clear, the threats reportedly continued, including the use of charms and spiritual intimidation.
“This has been ongoing for months. My wife and I made our refusal known, yet the intimidation hasn’t stopped. We were charmed with fetish charms on the day she was circumcised,” he said. “My wife and I didn’t know what came over us; we only became conscious of our environment after our daughter had already been circumcised.”
He stressed that the situation has become dangerous, especially after his daughter was confirmed to have been circumcised at the local health centre. He added that she has developed an infection as a result and has been transferred to the general hospital for proper examination. He also noted that his wife is now suffering from depression and stigmatization.
The matter has been formally reported to the Ogun State Police Command. Police authorities have confirmed receipt of the complaint and said investigations are ongoing.
“We have launched an investigation into this unfortunate incident. Any person found guilty of enforcing these illegal cultural practices will be held accountable under the law,” said SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, the Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun State.
In response to the incident, the Ogun State Ministry of Youth and Sports reiterated the government’s zero-tolerance stance on female genital mutilation (FGM).
Also reacting, the Ogun State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development condemned the reported incident and affirmed its readiness to intervene.
Human rights advocates have also voiced concern over the development, calling for justice and increased public education to eliminate FGM in the state.
