Afolabi Johnson Abiodun's family has been living in fear for years.
The 35 years old farmer's daughters, aged 11 and 10 are under threat of Female Genital Mutilation, a brutal practice that has been a fb of their family's heritage for generations.
Johnson's extended family members have been threatening to perform Female Genital Mutilation on his daughters as part of a traditional rite of passage. Despite his pleas to spare his daughters, they have refused to listen.
The family has written a petition to the police authority, but their cries for help have fallen on deaf ears. "We are living in constant fear," Johnson said. "My daughters are innocent children who deserve to be protected, not subjected to such brutality."
Johnson's ordeal began in 2022 when his extended family members informed him that his daughters were due to undergo Female Genital Mutilation as part of a traditional rite of passage. "I was horrified," Johnson said. "I knew that I had to protect my daughters at all costs."
Despite his efforts to reason with his extended family members, they have continued to threaten and intimidate him and his family. "They say that tradition is powerful and that they will invoke deities to make our lives unbearable until we do what they ask of us," Johnson said.
The family's situation has been made more precarious by the fact that they are living in a community where Female Genital Mutilation is widely practiced. "We are surrounded by people who believe in this practice," Johnson said. "It's like we are living in a nightmare."
Female Genital Mutilation is a violation of human rights and has serious health consequences. An estimated 20 million girls and women in Nigeria have undergone Female Genital Mutilation, which is practiced in many parts of the country.
The Nigerian government has outlawed Female Genital Mutilation, but the practice remains widespread, particularly in rural areas. Human rights organizations are calling on the government to take action to protect girls and women from Female Genital Mutilation.
"We urge the government to take concrete steps to protect girls and women from Female Genital Mutilation," said a comrade Ibrahim Olawale spokesperson for a human rights organization. "Female Genital Mutilation is a violation of human rights and has serious health consequences. It must be stopped."
Johnson's family is calling on the government and human rights organizations to provide them with protection and support. "We just want to live our lives in peace, free from the fear of Female Genital Mutilation," Johnson said.
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