Crime
Touching story: Cruelty of my husband’s family tradition is forcing me out of Nigeria – Woman cries out
African tradition cannot be separated from the development of the society, while some tradition are simple some are hard and often considered as cruel and barbaric because of the process they entails thereby making those whose faith cannot comply with the process be subjected to harassment and intimidation by the custodians such tradition
In most cases certain rites are must be performed by new wife or new born baby for spiritual cleansing or connection with the spirits of the “gods” and “ancestral spirit”, To some family it is a task that must be done for every additional to their homes but those who cannot comply with the terms are put under the fear of ,misfortune, untimely death , or failure to make it in life
Mr James Johnson and wife Motunrayo are happily married with two kids, for about fifteen years the wife have been evading traditional rites which the family consider a must for every new wife and their kids , at marriage she ran back into her parents home second day after the wedding and similar thing happened when she gave birth to her first daughter 13 years ago
Today Motunrayo and her family are living under the fear of losing her daughter and experience other misfortune predicted by her husband family due to her non compliance with what she termed as cruel nature of her husband’s family traditional rite, her fear grows bigger on daily basis as her daughter who is predicted to experience something strange at fifteen is getting closer to the age
Narrating her experience the Ilora born lady said she and her children are applying for asylum in the United State of America because she believe that will put an end to the physical and emotional suffering she has been encountering over the years
According to her “Few hours after our arrival at my husband village a day after our wedding I was taking into hut(a house built with mud)and I was told to prostrate and greet the people in the hut, which I did. They said is part of their culture, then I was handed a white material and a clay pot that had a white chalk in a paste form and I was asked to pull off everything I had on and tie the white material and apply the white chalk all over my body and I was told that as part of their tradition that I need to be examined by an old woman that they pointed out to me. Initially I didn’t understand what they were saying until I was asked to take off the white cloth that they need to inspect my private part. They mentioned to me that I would need get circumcised the following morning after a cleansing ritual by the river side (my opinion wasn’t asked if I want to be circumcised). They claim that all of them have been duly circumcised as required by tradition. I was amazed and shocked and tears were flowing down my eyes and I told my husband he needs to get me out his village because I will not allow anybody touch me. My husband promised me nothing would happen. I was so terrified I escaped from the house and left the village back to my parent house without notice to anyone”.
“I told my family members I wasn’t going to continue being married to my husband anymore because he was from a family who still practice barbaric and cruel tradition. The next day my husband and his family came to visit my family and begged them to ask my forgiveness. We were told that I will never be asked to participate in any of their traditional practices again. I forgave them and agreed to continue in the marriage. I moved in and settled in Abuja, federal capital territory”.
“According to the tradition and believe of his people (my husband), a woman who is not circumcised causes ill luck, misfortune and possibly death to the man, his family and could wipe off the entire linage of the family, she is seen as unclean and called Abiku which means an outcast. Out of fear and stigmatization, most women married into the family are pressured and subdued into such barbaric act of been circumcised and even their daughters. The process was usually performed by elderly ladies of the family. However, the circumcision is done by people who have no medical certificate or even qualified to carry out any medical procedure which is dangerous and endangers the victim’s life and the preys could get infected, bleed to death or some sort of terrible thing could happen. And they believe that any child born by an uncircumcised woman is unclean and seen as an outcast and should not be associated with because they believe the person will affect them with ill luck and could contaminate them and bad things will begin to happen and could cause death too.”
“On 09/08/2004 I had my daughter and according to the traditions of mine husbands village, once a child is born there will be a naming ceremony on the 8thday which we did and every family member was invited and after the naming they are supposed to choose a day that falls on particular market day for circumcision which I objected to and I was told that if she is not circumcised that it will be assumed that such a person does not exist in the family and cannot associate with any member of the family or come home to the village. I was told the subject was not open for negotiation that she must undergo the cleansing and circumcision process as is required by all members of their family. A week later my husband was summoned by his family members and they were mounting pressure on him and threatening him on how they will go about it with or without his permission or he should be rest assured that calamity will be fall my daughter once she turns 15 years of age. I was so terrified knowing how much endanger my life and that of my daughter was, I begged my husband to save us from such cruel and unbearable torture. He promised me that if we are in Abuja that nobody will be able to subdue us into such horrific act.”
After some months, I felt everything were settled and calm, that I could go on living my normal life, no pressure or fear of been subjected to such barbaric act, then I got the shock and surprise of my life. I was leaving a function that I attended with my daughter driving back home, I noticed that a car was following me and I try to speed away, the more I speed the more the car was coming so fast behind us. I had to drive into a police station not sure of who was trailing us and what was going on. When I drove into the police station and I quickly unstrap my daughter and ran inside the building and I told them I was been trailed, statements were taking and filed as a formal complaint and they went outside and couldn’t find anyone or car. Investigations were made and nothing was found out, few months after that I got a call with an unknown number reminding me the incident and still told me that they are watching me and that since I have refused to be circumcised and that I want to wipe off their lineage and bring ill luck that they will wipe me off. That was the exact words i was told. When I told my husband, he was as shocked as I was and he made arrangement for us to travel to Lagos which is the western part of the country for a while, while he tries to figure out who was threatening our lives.
On 4th of December 2010 we welcomed our handsome son into this world. During my pregnancy, I suffered a lot emotional and verbal abuse from my husband family telling me am bringing in unclean children with ill luck into their Family and I was wrongly accused that all the misfortune happening in the family was because I refused to be circumcised and that my children are unclean and have brought ill luck into their family. As tradition demands on the 8th day should be my son naming ceremony, this time around my husband invited only the family members he felt he trusted and people who were close friends of ours. That was the greatest mistake we ever did. During the celebration fully armed five group of men came in to the house Towards the end of the function, these five group of men dressed in black and full armed busted in and took us away to an unknown destination , These happened within seconds and we were caught unaware, my husband friends got into their own car and started chasing after the car they used to drove us away , we are so terrified and I taught that was the last day I will ever see my daughter and new born baby. I was shocked, terrified and so scared that all I could was just held into my husband hands but in his usual manner he started pleading the “blood of Jesus” and asking God to rescue us from the people that we don’t know, at that point , one of the guys asked my husband to shut up and said “today your wife must get circumcised” and accused our Nuclear Family of been responsible for the death of family members in the last few years , When they realized that a car was chasing them, they opened the door and pushed us out and in his words, he said “this is not over, you either agree to what you have been told or we will forcefully do it”. We are seriously injured and we are hospitalized and discharged after few days
After the incident I can’t sleep with two of my eyes closed , I kept looking around unconsciously to see if anyone is watching or monitoring me. I have lost my peace.
My husband went to the village to make inquiries who is behind everything and found out that it was agreed and arranged by all his family members because they believe that any death that has happened was caused by me and my children and they told him that its either he brings his wife and daughter for circumcision and after that he must do cleansing of the land or that he has them to contain with. That was the moment my husband made up his mind that he will not allow any harm come to his wife and kids and he started saving and making plans on where is the safest place us.
I have suffered physical, emotional and verbal abuse from my husband family members. I have been called names, treated like a plague. My children and I are not save anywhere in my country. I get constant harassment from these people, my children are not allowed to come home to their father’s village or associate with any member of their family. It’s been fifteen years of torture, no peace of mind, no rest, fifteen years of constant abuse and harassment. My kids are growing and I don’t want them to go through what I have gone through and I want them to have a better life, feel accepted by the society and not been called names or constantly been accused of ill luck misfortune or death in the family.
Please help me give my kids and I the sense of security, love and acceptance they need. My daughter is thirteen years right now, I don’t want to wait for her to turn fifteen years and witness whatever they have planned. It rings like a bell in my ear and every day I wake up and look at her and realize she is almost 15, I get really scared. When I reminded my husband of what his family people told him, he quickly made arrangement for us to come over to the US, knowing fully well that we are safe and will never ever have to look over our shoulder or been stigmatized anymore.
I don’t want to lose my daughter, I don’t want to be called names anymore, I don’t want my kids growing up and going through what I have been subjected to for fifteen years of been married into that family or getting to the age of getting married and they will tell them that they are unclean and have ill luck because their mum refuse to give into such a barbaric act of circumcision that I wasn’t sure of surviving after allowing someone who has no medical background to carry out a procedure on me because it is called a family tradition.
Its not only Motunrayo and her family that are going through the emotional and physical suffering occasioned by the tradition and culture, so many people are dying in silence and there is need for support inform of legislation or any form of support that will stop women from the agony of partaking in cruel tradition occasioned by marriage.
Sowole Community in Ogun State has been thrown into fear and chaos following a violent invasion by suspected landgrabbers who allegedly destroyed properties, attacked residents, and left at least one person dead.
Speaking with journalists, the Baale of Sowole town, Chief Sunday Sowole, 52, recounted the ongoing ordeal, revealing that the community has been under threat for over two years and four months.
According to him, the attackers — who are not members of the community and do not share boundaries with Sowole — first stormed the area months ago, destroyed his seven-bedroom palace, and even carted away roofing sheets and other valuables.
Chief Sowole said the community reported the matter to the Commander of SWAT in Magbon, CSP Salami Akanni Murphy, but no arrests were made during the initial police intervention.
He noted that they were invited repeatedly
“We wrote to the CSP in Magbon SWAT, Salami Akanni Murphy, and when the police came, we were not able to arrest anyone,” he said.
He explained that both parties were later summoned for a meeting by CSP Murphy, who reportedly stated that there was no legal backing to prosecute the attackers and advised the residents to return to their town despite the threats.
The parties involved were also asked to bring documents to back up their claims to the landed properties in the community but the perpetrators didn’t show up afterwards.
Earlier this week, police officers escorted Chief Sowole and some residents back to the community, during which two suspects were arrested and taken to CSP Murphy for interrogation.
However, the situation escalated again on Saturday when the armed men allegedly returned to Sowole, shooting sporadically and attacking residents with machetes.
“About eight people were shot, and one of our brothers, Hakeem Bello, was macheted to death,” the Baale lamented.
“All the instruments in our churches were taken away, and we know those involved.”
Chief Sowole expressed concern over alleged boasts by the perpetrators that they had “bought” CSP Murphy and other officers, claiming they would face no consequences for their actions.
He added that despite reporting the renewed attacks to SWAT officers in Idi-Agbon, no concrete action has been taken.
“We don’t have any dealings with these people. They just came up from Iyana Ilogbo and claimed they own our town without any documents or proof. We have our documents, but they have never presented any.”
The community is calling on the Ogun State Government, the Police High Command, and relevant authorities to intervene urgently to prevent further bloodshed and restore peace to Sowole.
A civic advocacy organisation, Zamfara Accountability and Development Coalition (ZADC), has accused top officials in the administration of Governor Dauda Lawal of hijacking and diverting funds meant for local government development across the state.
In a statement released on Sunday, signed by its president, Salisu Bako Maradun, the group said the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Commissioner for Finance, the Accountant-General, and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs have allegedly formed a “self-serving alliance” that controls and misappropriates local council allocations.
“These individuals have captured the financial architecture of Zamfara’s 14 local governments. Their actions amount to economic sabotage and a betrayal of public trust,” the statement read.
ZADC said the funds sent to local governments from the Federation Account are routinely withheld and mismanaged at the state level, leaving the local councils unable to deliver basic services or execute projects that could ease the suffering of residents.
“Local governments in Zamfara have become ceremonial offices. The real work of looting is done in Gusau. Month after month, huge allocations arrive, but they disappear before they reach the grassroots,” the group said.
According to the group, this alleged financial malpractice is responsible for the worsening state of infrastructure and public services in rural areas of Zamfara, where insecurity, poverty, and neglect continue to define daily life.
“Health centres have no medicines, schools are empty shells, and rural roads are death traps. Yet the officials at the top are living in obscene luxury,” ZADC said.
The group also accused Governor Lawal of enabling the rot through silence and inaction, despite widespread reports of mismanagement under his watch.
“Governor Lawal cannot continue to look the other way while Zamfara’s commonwealth is stolen in broad daylight. His failure to act has emboldened those bleeding the state dry,” the group stated.
They also describe the state’s Joint Allocation Committee (JAC) as compromised and opaque, claiming that local government chairmen are kept in the dark about the actual figures shared each month.
“The JAC process has become a monthly ritual of secrecy. Funds are shared without documentation, accountability, or transparency. What we have is a complete breakdown of fiscal responsibility,” the group lamented.
ZADC claimed that over the past six months, the state has received billions of naira in local government allocations, yet there has been “zero reflection” of that money in any council area.
“Communities in Talata Mafara, Maru, Bukkuyum, and Tsafe have not seen any government project in over a year. The same can be said for Gummi, Kaura-Namoda, and Bakura. This is not just neglect. It is organised looting,” it said.
The group, therefore, called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to launch a full investigation into the finances of Zamfara’s local government ministry and arrest those found culpable.
“We are calling on the EFCC to intervene without delay. This is not the time for subtlety. The commissioner for local government, commissioner for finance, accountant-general, and the permanent secretary must be arrested and charged with corruption,” the statement added.
ZADC noted that the people of Zamfara have suffered enough and can no longer afford to have their future traded by those in power.
“This is a state battling chronic insecurity, mass unemployment, and underdevelopment. Yet those in charge of local government finances are behaving like warlords in a conquered territory,” the group said.
It concluded by demanding that all stolen funds be recovered and channelled back to community projects to give Zamfara’s grassroots a fighting chance.
“We want every kobo accounted for. Zamfara belongs to its people, not a few godfathers and greedy bureaucrats. This impunity must stop now,” the group declared.
Crime
“My Children And I Are Not Safe If You Release Mukaila Salau Actor” – Idowu Keshinro’s Widow Begs Lagos Attorney General
The widow of Idowu Keshinro, a staffer of Ikosi-Ejirin local government who was killed in April 2024 has cried out to the Attorney General of Lagos, Mr. Lawal Pedro, Governor Babajide Sanwoolu over rumours that those arrested in connection to the death of her husband, especially Mukaila Salau Actor will be soon be released unconditionally.
The Widow, Funke Keshinro, in an interview made it known that one of the suspects, Abubakar Sulaimon Miyaki, who has been released, has been boasting of his connection with the attorney general, making it known that the other suspect arrested will soon be released.
She made it known that if they are released as rumoured, the lives of her and the children of the deceased are not safe because the suspects are ready to cause more mayhem for them.
She revealed that rumours have it that the Attorney general of Lagos state has collected the case file for a review of the case and this has stalled sitting on the matter in court. She urged those in power to intervene in the matter to ensure justice prevails.
“Abubakar Sulaiman Miyaki has been saying he has settled attorney general and that they will release those that have been arrested in connection with the death of Idowu Keshinro, my late husband who was shot multiple times and died on April 4 2024. If they are released, my three children and I are not safe because we won’t be able to go anywhere.
“Anyone that is killed is meant to be killed but when criminals are released, they will continue doing what they have done. I want to please urge Governor Sanwoolu to intervene in this matter, I am begging those in power to please help in this matter.
“I learnt the Attorney General has collected the case file for a review and because of that, they are yet to sit on the matter in court. I don’t know what to do other than begging those that can intervene to please help my family.”
Meanwhile, a petition has been written to the Attorney General and Governor Babajide Sanwoolu about the rumoured proposed release of Mukaila Salau Actor and other suspect who had been declared wanted by the Nigeria Police for criminal offences.
“Further to our brief, the aforesaid persons are notorious criminals having criminal cases hanging on their neck as a golden chain. As a result of the criminal activities perpetrated by MUKAILA OLALEKAN SALAU (A.K.A ACTOR), he was declared WANTED by the Nigeria Police for the offences of Criminal Conspiracy, Murder and unlawful possession of fire arms in Moro Village, Ikorodu, Lagos State sometimes in 2017. MUKAILA SALAU (A.K.A ACTOR) and the aforesaid persons have become conkerworms in the lives of the inhabitants of Isiu, Ota-Ikosi Via Agbowa, Ikorodu, Lagos. The said persons are notorious cult members leaders committed crime with impunity at will without any regards to the rule of law. It is painful to stress here that, the said persons perpetrated heinous crime at different times, got arrested but later released without any justification, hence the boast of the aforesald persons that they are well connected and as a result could escape justice even where murder is committed lIke in the instance of our jants thereof. The photocopy of the police special bulletin where MUKAILA OLALEKAN SALAU (AKA A ACTOR) was declared WANTED and photographs of the said person and one of his syndicate are hereby annexed for ease of reference”
It was also noted that Abubakar Sulaimon has also been allegedly committing heinous crimes since his release. The Attorney General was also fingered in the petition as the official that initiated the release of the suspect.
“That upon the preceding paragraph, the Attorney General of Lagos State in a very strange twist of event ordered for a review of the said Legal Advice by the Director of Public Prosecution, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, the Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos and thereupon set free, and terminated the court proceeding against Abubakar Sulaimon Mayaki for the said murder of the said IDOWU KESHINRO to the total shock of all and sundry.”
“Further to our brief, the aforesaid persons are notorious criminals having criminal cases hanging on their neck as a golden chain. As a result of the criminal activities perpetrated by MUKAILA OLALEKAN SALAU (A.K.A ACTOR), he was declared WANTED by the Nigeria Police for the offences of Criminal Conspiracy, Murder and unlawful possession of fire arms in Moro Village, Ikorodu, Lagos State sometimes in 2017. MUKAILA SALAU (A.K.A ACTOR) and the aforesaid persons have become conkerworms in the lives of the inhabitants of Isiu, Ota-Ikosi Via Agbowa, Ikorodu, Lagos. The said persons are notorious cult members leaders committed crime with impunity at will without any regards to the rule of law. It is painful to stress here that, the said persons perpetrated heinous crime at different times, got arrested but later released without any justification, hence the boast of the aforesaid persons that they are well connected and as a result could escape justice even where murder is committed lIke in the instance of our jants thereof. The photocopy of the police special bulletin where MUKATLA¿LALEKAN SALAU (AKA A ACTOR) was declared WANTED and photographs of the said person and one of his syndicate are hereby annexed for ease of reference”
The petition also noted that Abubakar Suleimon has been boasting of his connection with powerful politicians, making it known that he will ensure others in custody are released.
“We have the brief of our clients that ABUBAKAH SULEIMON MIYAKI and others continue to boast that MUKAILA SALAU (AKA ACTOR) would be released unconditionally as they clairned to have connection to few politicians who would lead them to the office of the Attorney General and or have sufficient money to access the said office so as to ensure the Attorney General exercises his prerogative powers under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to release MUKAILA SALAU (A.K A ACTOR) and others in the above mentioned charge.”
It would be recalled that the deceased, Idowu Keshinro, before he died mentioned names of people he identified as his killers. Among them was Abubakar Suleimon Miyaki, Mukaila Salau ACTOR, and several others at large.
-
celebrity radar - gossips6 months agoWhy Babangida’s Hilltop Home Became Nigeria’s Political “Mecca”
-
society6 months agoPower is a Loan, Not a Possession: The Sacred Duty of Planting People
-
Business6 months agoBatsumi Travel CEO Lisa Sebogodi Wins Prestigious Africa Travel 100 Women Award
-
news6 months agoTHE APPOINTMENT OF WASIU AYINDE BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AS AN AMBASSADOR SOUNDS EMBARRASSING
You must be logged in to post a comment Login