 Burdened by the existing practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Kwara State, a non-governmental organisation, Kick Against Genital Multiple ( KAGM) has intensified efforts to wage war against the practice in families across the state. The organisation noted that while Female Genital Mutilation is illegal in Nigeria and the call for the elimination of the practice since 2016, by the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, the practice is still ongoing in some parts of the state, calling on the state government to intervene to bring an end to the heinous practice.
The Executive Director of KAGM, Funso Alimi, said the body would put every resource to end the debasement of women. He said many communities in Nigeria still engaged in the age-long practice while citing the family of Arogunde Adeniyi Oladipupo of Idiogun, Offa town in Kwara State that still engage in female circumcision while claiming it is “customary to do circumcision for all female child.” Alimi claimed that the Kwara State Police authorities are aware of the development and are willing to act on a petition brought before them. He said: “No convictions have been made because only a few states have ratified the law. Much advocacy is needed to make people aware of the act.” According to a 2017 report by the United Nations Population Fund, which estimated that one in four women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49 have undergone FGM in Nigeria. The report revealed that the practise has reached alarming rates in six Nigerian states, including Kwara, which stands at 53.3 percent, making it the sixth-highest in Female Genital Mutilation. However, Nigeria’s First Lady Aisha Buhari had called for the elimination of the practice since 2016 Source: Guardian
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