CYRIACUS IZUEKWE
A 34-year-old woman, Janet Ojeka, has been arraigned before the Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos State over an alleged attempt to subject her 12-year-old daughter to circumcision against the laws of Lagos State.
The defendant was arraigned before Magistrate Mrs. M.O. Tanimola following her arrest by operatives of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, DSVA, Outstation, Alausa, Ikeja.
http://P.M.EXPRESS reports that the incident was said to have occurred on the 18th day of August, 2026, at about 0900hrs at 4 Guinness Street, off Pero Bus Stop, Agege, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District.
According to the Police, the defendant allegedly attempted to take her daughter, identified as Fedora Francis, 12, to her paternal home in Ibadan, Oyo State, for the purpose of circumcision.
The information was said to have been received by the DSVA, which then moved to prevent the act and apprehended the mother. She was later transferred to the Police for prosecution.
The Police, through the Investigating Police Officer, Insp Alli-Balogun J., charged her before the Court under Charge No…./2025 in a case between the Commissioner of Police and Janet Ojeka ‘F’ aged 34 years.
The one-count charge reads:
“That you Janet Ojeka ‘F’ on the 18th day of August, 2026 at about 0900hrs at No: 4, Guinness Street, off Pero Bus/Stop, Agege Lagos in the Lagos Magisterial District did attempt to subject your 12years old daughter Fedora Francis to female circumcision by intending to take her to her said paternal in Ibadan for the purpose of having her circumcise and thereby committed an offence contrary and punishable under Section 21 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.”
When the charge was read to her before the Court, she pleaded not guilty.
The prosecutor, ASP Lucky Ihehie, informed the Court that the matter was a case of attempted child circumcision, which is prohibited in Lagos State, and asked for a date for hearing. He also requested that the defendant be remanded pending the perfection of her bail.
In her ruling, Magistrate Mrs. M.O. Tanimola granted her bail with a surety, who must show evidence of means of livelihood and tax payment.
The Court ordered that she be remanded at the Correctional Center in Kirikiri Town, Lagos, pending when she will perfect her bail conditions.
The matter was adjourned for mention, while the Police Officer who endorsed the charge sheet, ASP Udeh Benedicta R., is expected to present the case file.
*Understanding The Case And The Belief Behind It*
http://P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the practice is rooted in some traditional beliefs held in parts of the country. In some communities, it is erroneously believed that circumcising a female child will moderate her sexual behaviour in adulthood, ensure discipline and preserve chastity before marriage.
Proponents of the old practice claim that it helps to control what they describe as excessive sexual urge and to make the girl child more focused.
However, health experts and rights advocates have consistently debunked this belief. According to medical authorities, the practice has no health benefit. Instead, it poses serious health risks including severe bleeding, infection, complications during childbirth, psychological trauma and other long-term health challenges.
The Lagos State Government has outlawed the practice. Under Section 21 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, female circumcision and any attempt to carry it out is a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment.
The Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, DSVA, has also intensified public enlightenment, warning parents and guardians that the State has zero tolerance for any form of child mutilation and that offenders will be prosecuted.
The arraignment of Janet Ojeka is part of ongoing enforcement efforts to protect the rights of the girl child and to end harmful traditional practices in Lagos State.
The case will continue on the adjourned date after the defendant meets her bail conditions.
