We Will Punish Perpetrators of Female Genital Mutilation, Says Ekiti CJ

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

The Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice John Adeyeye, has promised that the judiciary is now more determined to apply the instrument of law to deal decisively with perpetrators of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the state.

This came as the Ekiti State Government, said it would begin a massive clampdown on those found culpable of cutting of female genitalia in the state.

The chief judge gave the warning yesterday at the commemoration of the International Day of Zero Tolerance Against FGM 2022 in Ado Ekiti.

Speaking at the occasion, Justice Adeyeye, who was represented by the Acting Chief Registrar, Mr. Adesoji Adegboye, alleged that “some highly placed intellectuals in the state were promoters of this harmful practice.

“Henceforth, the judiciary would apply the law to bring perpetrators to justice to serve as deterrent to those who are involved in FGM.”

Frowning at the harmful practice, the Ekiti State First Lady, Mrs. Bisi Fayemi, lamented the prevalence of FGM, saying that she feel depressed to be discussing FGM after decades of advocacy against the practice.

She warned that the legal and punitive measures as enshrined in the 2019 Gender Based Violence law were still subsisting.

She said: “There are sanctions in place because after persuasions for people to drop this bad habit, government may start sending culprits to Afao Road (correctional centre).

“Let us end the practice in our generation. We must not pass FGM to our children and grandchildren. Let us set up advocacy committee in the local government areas.”

Meanwhile, the Ekiti Council of Elders has described the unabated spate of kidnappings and ritual killings in the state as a deplorable situation making lives unbearable for the people.

The council, in a statement yesterday by its Chairman, Professor Joseph Oluwasanmi, in Ado Ekiti, called for deployment of more security personnel and patrol on the roads, advising the setting up of closer security check points at identified black sports where the hoodlums have struck a number of times.

Oluwasanmi said: “Let us go back to the days of old, by shunning those flaunting sudden wealth from unknown sources, to discourage ritual killers and Internet fraudsters.

“We call for communal cooperation and for a closer family relationship for supports and monitoring of individual members. We plead with religious centers to emphasis less on riches and wealth; they should make Omoluabi attributes their primary focus.”