IRRUA – Family of Omo-Aka Daniel Isaac Ekeleose of Atuago Village, Irrua, Esan Central Local Government Area of Edo State has regretted what it’s regarded as abrupt but ceaseless threats to their lives, especially one of their brothers, Nelson Aimienwanlan Omo-Aka, over his refusal to the plans of circumcising his female children by his Kinsmen in the village.
It would be recalled that Female Genital Mutilation, FGM, popularly called Circumcision has been a customary and traditional ritual practice carried out on girl child to prepare her from the teenage age to womanhood in the village.
Speaking with Newsmen, the younger brother of the said Nelson Omo-Aka, Daniel Isaac Ekeleose said that though FGM has been an ancient practice which has spanned over decades without recourse to the rights of the female children, are innocently coerced into the ritual practice.
He said that the elders and people of the village who without recourse to the social and morale implications as well as reproductive trauma it might have on them during child bearing resorted to continuous practice to appease the gods of the land as they use the blood to perform other devilish but inimical rites to the well being of the female children.
He said further that trouble however started with his elder brother when some elders of the village abruptly informed him of the need to bring his teenage girls for circumcision at the Community ancestral shrine saying an order he (Nelson and wife) turned down and Chief Okonighene and his cohorts (the Council of elders) declared Mr. Nelson, his wife and their daughters out cast and threatened to kill them if they (Nelson and wife) do not comply and bring their teenage girls to the community shrine for circumcision rites.
The source noted that when the threats became tensed, the said Nelson on the 30th of September, 2017 went to the Area Command Office of the Nigeria Police Force to lodge report. The Police refused to intervene or caution the perpetrators, citing it’s traditional affair, that Nelson Omo-Aka should go and resolve the issue with his kinsmen.
He added that after the Police had refused to make any arrest, they continued to unleash more threats for daring them and again, Mr Nelson who was no longer comfortable with the development especially in view of the concern for his wife and children, went back to the Police to seek their intervention on the 4th of November, 2017 where he mentioned the names of those behind the dastardly minded act, but having discovered that the said Nelson had exhausted all his efforts but to no avail, they threatened to invade his house and before they could carry out their threat, Mr Nelson Aimienwanlan Omo-Aka, his wife and children escaped to unknown place.
The source, however, said that the whereabout of his brother and family remain sketchy as at press time but appealed to the relevant authorities to protect them to avoid being killed unjustly.
