Female circumcision attracts four-year imprisonment

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons has said that female circumcision is a crime which attracts a four-year jail term. 

 

The agency made this known in a post on its official X handle on Sunday, April 28, 2024, after a user, @AAAlhlaji21 said it is ‘’important to perform circumcision on baby girls to prevent them from being promiscuous when they grow up.”

 

Alhaji has stated this in response to a question by another X user @realmuhammadd, who asked if a newborn girl must be circumcised. 

 

“That place not circumcised has some bacteria growing there as she keeps growing. That leads to high sex urges in the lady and most times sex results in her dating many guys for sex. If you can get a professional, it’s better to have it cut than to expose the girl to high sex life,” he wrote.

 

NAPTIP, however, debunked the myth in its reaction to the posts, warning against the practice.

 

“Dear Muhammad- Just so you know female circumcision (FC) is a crime under the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, (VAPP) 2015 and under various states’ VAPP Laws. Anyone who performs FC is liable to up to four years imprisonment if you attempt to perform FC, up to two years imprisonment,” the agency stated.

 

According to the agency, anyone who incites, aids, or counsels another person to commit the offence of FC, is liable to up to two years imprisonment.

 

“We urge you to use this as a teaching moment to also educate others. Remember “Female Circumcision, Genital Mutilation” is a crime,’’ it added.