A Lagos resident, Mrs. Adesimisola Basirat Olukoya, of No. 3, Aregbe Street, Isolo, has gone into hiding following alleged threats and physical assault from her husband Saheed Adesegun Olukoya’s relatives over her refusal to allow the circumcision of her young daughter.
According to Police report filed at the Area ‘A’ command, Lion Building Lagos, on 17th day of November, 2015, Mrs. Olukoya revealed that she discovered, only after marriage, that her husband’s family practices a long-standing tradition of circumcising the first daughter of the household once she turns ten.
The mother of one stated that the family first raised the issue on the 17th of November, 2015, when her daughter, Fareedah Adedoyinsolami Tele-Olukoya, was just three months old.
Despite strong resistance from both her and her husband, emissaries from her in-laws continued to remind them annually of the “ritual” meant to be carried out on the child.
In the report, Mrs. Olukoya narrated that she and her husband deliberately distanced themselves from family gatherings to avoid further confrontation.
However, matters took a violent turn on May 20, 2019, when she was attacked at Balogun Market, Lagos Island, after a heated argument with some of her husband’s relatives.
“One of my husband’s relatives charged towards me and stabbed me with a broken bottle during the argument. I sustained injuries and was rushed to the General Hospital with my daughter,” she recounted.
Although police officers at Lion Building Division arrested the suspect, Mrs. Olukoya said she declined to press charges following family intervention to prevent a prolonged feud.
The distraught mother disclosed that despite her physical scars from the attack, the threats never stopped. She alleged that her husband’s family remained determined to carry out the circumcision against her will.
“The constant fear, harassment, and intimidation have left me traumatized. I do not want to lose my daughter to an avoidable traditional ritual, and I cannot continue to live my life in hiding,” she stated in her deposition.
Mrs. Olukoya maintained that she’s considering whether to flee since the family does not seem tired and she needs to protect her daughter and preserve her right to grow without being subjected to harmful cultural practices.
The report further revealed that she and her husband had planned her hiding to escape persistent pressure from his extended family.
As of press time, there has been no official response from the husband’s family regarding the allegations.
