Female Genital Mutilation and Twins Sacrilege Threat, Adeshola Narrates her Story

Female Genital Mutilation and Twins Sacrilege Threat, Adeshola Narrates her Story

Genital Mutilation involves partial or complete removal of external female genitalia which was medically not advisable and has no benefits. Traditionally, this is performed on girls between infancy and the age of 15. 

In the family of Oyekanmi, it is a long time tradition and practice as a secret within the family. Many girl child of the family have been circumcised and no one, even their mother could fight for them. 

As a young woman married to family without knowing the full background of the family, Adeshola Hafisat got married to Jelili Oyekanmi  and started having children. 

Adeshola Hafisat was blessed with a girls as first child named Oyekanmi Fatiha Oluwadarasimi and second child named Oyekanmi Rodiah Oluwasindara and another twins followed named Oyekanmi Kehinde Aqib and Oyekanmi Taiwo Aqiba.

Few years after the birth of our twins, my mother inlaw became worried and helpless. It took her months before she open up on the family tradition, a barbaric culture that sacrifice twins for their deity and a compulsory circumcision for every female child of the family. 

She narrated her long year experience with the family to me and her son on why genital mutilation is very important and sacrifice of twins to the deity. 

“I became tired and look straight to my husband for answers but he was speechless. I know their was a problem and I began to do a private consultation”

“As soon as my twins was five years plus, the family head Alhaji Tihamiyu Aderemi called our attention to the family tradition and the twins has to be used to perform the sacrifice before circumcise them with their elder sisters but I did not agreed with his explanation which arose his anger and promised to let the tradition take it’s curse”

My mother-in-law who has been married to the Oyekanmi's for over 50 years told us about the powerful voodoo in the family lineage and very effective in Africa to her best knowledge. 

My mother-in-law advised us to succumb to the family demands, or we faces the consequences. 

This make us to nurse the fear and quickly report the case to the police. The family head, Alhaji Tihamiyu Aderemi was invited by the police and he was let go based on his explanation that the practice was a long time family tradition which has a very severe punishment by the deity if not complied with.

I knew the worse will soon come since the police could not stop them, I, my husband and the children decide to relocate from our house at No. 25 Lamidi Omolola Street, off AIT Road, Alagbado, Lagos to No.8, Ayimke Agbetoba Street, Alagbado, Lagos for safety.

My husband leg started swollen and we were advised by my mother inlaw to treat it in traditional way because it was not ordinary. She said, that is one of potency of the family voodoo and usually happen to those who go against the rules and the tradition. With effort of my mother inlaw, the leg was healed but became limpy due to the fracture developed from from the effect of the family Voodoo.

Some of the family members and especially my mother inlaw gave us total support and this gave us opportunity to change our location where the family are conversant to.

My mother inlaw said, “the culture puts pressure on families, they say uncircumcised girls are naughty and restless" 

"When we circumcised our older daughters, we were simply following what had been done for years in our community”   

She also said there are families who are still circumcising their daughters, hiding them in the house or by taking them far away to rural areas. 

This is how deep-rooted the cultural belief is.

Adeshola Hafisat, also narrated that the family head has been using all means to track them since they relocated to another house.

“All thanks to my mother inlaw who do not want my twins and their sisters  became another victim of the age long tradition that has ruin many girls in the family"

She kept giving us information on the family head activities and we are able to escape from them and decided to relocate abroad for full safety since they can still use their voodoo to locate us only in Africa and harm the family since it was on record, according to my mother inlaw that those that refused to adhere to the tradition losses their twins and hurribble incidents happened to them.