Ekiti to arrest female genital mutilators

Wife of the Ekiti state governor, Mrs Bisi Fayemi has revealed that the government would soon put out machineries for the arrest of female genital mutilators across the 16 local government areas of the state.

She noted that FGM was against the law and outdated, adding that the government would do everything possible to remove Ekiti from the list of states with prevalence in the act.

Mrs Fayemi said the unwholesome practice, had brought a lot of sexual damage to women through infectious diseases that destroy body sexual nerve cells, thereby causing marital crises in many homes.

She stated this while speaking in Aramoko-Ekiti during her advocacy tour and empowerment programmes for women in Ekiti West, Ido-Osi, Efon and Ijero council areas.

Items distributed include; cash, grinding machines, sewing machines, hairdryers, cooking gas, Coolers and raw foods.

FGM practitioners were empowered with cash gifts by the governor’s wife after they renounced the act and surrendered their instruments.

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The first lady said, ” The UNICEF findings shows that Ekiti is third in the prevalence of FGM in states in the country. We are not comfortable with this development. If it is education, agriculture and other good things that we are rated in that position, we would claim it but in number three in FGM is not good enough.

” I want to advise our people not to take their babies for mutilation. It is against the law and we don’t want our mothers to be arrested.

” However, if our people do not stop this act, we are monitoring them and anyone who did not abandon this act, the individual will be arrested by the police and prosecuted in accordance with the law.”

She also advised parents and guardians to always monitor the activities of their female children and wards, to reduce the scourge of rape and defilement that are on the increase in the state.

Mrs Fayemi, who lamented the increasing rate of teenage pregnancies in the society due to lack of attention, saying ‘operation keep girls in school ‘ policy of Governor Kayode Fayemi’s government, has now outlawed expulsion of ladies who got pregnant while in school.