Posted June 20, 2018
by Agholor Godswill
All
is not well at the moment with the family of Mr George Ekpenisi of
Agbor,headquarters of Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State
over the continued disappearance of their first child and
daughter,Gabriella George Ekpenisi.
Trouble
started after the birth of Gabriella George on June 23,2011. Agbor
Community where the Ekpenisi family hails from vowed to fulfil her age
long tradition of female genital mutilation ,particularly on any first
girl in a family(Ada).
According to
reports,Gabriella George Ekpenisi was born in Lagos before she was
brought to Agbor.Her family since then has not known peace following
continued threats from the Agbor Community that she must be circumcised
traditionally even when there is a global campaign against female
genital mutilation.
Our reporters reliably
gathered that in a bid to secure the life of little Gabriella George she
was taken to her maternal parents home at Owerre-Olubor in Ika North
East Local Government Area of the state,a few kilometers from
Agbor.Unfortunately,that never deterred the Agbor Community as it
continued with the threat on Gabriella George,saying that she must be
circumcized either death or life.
However,attempts to secure the life of Gabriella George from the crude
and painful traditional female genital mutilation process our reporters
gathered were abortive.The issue escallates when a revered and respected
Ika traditional chief and grand dad of Gabriella George,Chief Anthony
Ojogbo who before now granted her assylum at Owerre-Olubor died on July
7,2018.The death of Chief Ojogbo was said to have given opportunity to
the Agbor Community to heighten her agitation for the circumsion of all
female children of Agbor origin particularly, the first born female
child of the family.
The last straw that broke the carmel's bag was the continued disappearance of Gabriella George from Owerre-Olubor.
A member of the Ekpenisi family who spoke on the ground of anonimity
said that his family at the moment are facing a turbulent period as a
result of the sudden disappearance of their girl.While frowing at the
attitude of Agbor Community on female genital mutilation,he called on
relevant government authorities to help find their child,Gabriella
George by taking a prompt action that will lead to the whereabout of the
missing girl.
It should be noted that the fight
against female genital mutiltion has not been effective in Nigeria as
various communities in the country have continued in the fetish
practice.
