A Nigerian woman was harassed on the street of Lagos for rejecting the proposal to circumcise her daughter in Lagos, South West Nigeria.
The lady identified as Mrs Taiwo Peters refused to allow her in-laws perform Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) on her daughter during the incident that took place on 10 July 2015.
According to eyewitnesses who spoke to reporters, the lady was harassed in Ojodu area of Lagos after refusing to hand her daughter over to some men who were screaming that she hands her over.
“They were shouting In Yoruba language at her demanding that she hands her daughter (Adeola) over, insisting that she (Adeola) was also their daughter.
“At first we were confused but we had to intervene when we saw them forcefully trying to seize the girl from her mother.
“We wondered why three grown men will want to molest a woman and her child,” an eyewitness said.
Another eyewitness explained that, “We only know her to be a quiet woman who lives down the street with her family. She and her family are very well mannered, they greet people on this street and go about their business.
“It came as a shock to us to see her involved in this kind of violence. That’s why they say the rich also cry even though they are living rich they have domestic issues,” the eyewitness who identified himself as Malik Abudu told reporters.
He explained that females should not be forced into having circumcision, noting that, times have changed.
“We need another Mary Slessor in this generation, someone who can stop circumcision like she (Slessor) stopped the killings of twins in Nigeria.
When reporters contacted Mrs Taiwo Peters who is happily married to Tunde Peters, a popular artistes manager she refused to comment on the incident.
She said it was a domestic issue which will be handled privately.
“God will vindicate me,” she said between her sobs as she closed the door on reporters.
