Law & Crime

Woman Raises Alarm as Community Persecute Sister Over FGM

Published

1 year ago

September 15, 2022

By our correspondent

By woman, has raised alarm over the persecution of her sister Mrs. Sarah Oluwakemi Amawu-Charles on her stance against the circumcision of her twin daughters by Evbuobonosa community in Orhionwon Local government area of Edo state,

Speaking with our Correspondent on phone, Mrs. Olaiya Olutimenyi lamented how the community has caused the family of Mrs. Amawu-Charles untold hardship as she resists compliance with the act of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) which is a common rite of passage for female children in the community.

According to her, the search for safety has caused her sister to flee and stay away from the community with her daughters and a son for a safe haven thereby causing a separation and anguish for the entire family.

Narrating the ordeal facing her sister, she said that at the birth of the twins, it was expected by tradition that the two girls must be circumcised but the mother in agreement with the husband refused to bow to the traditional rite of passage which they considered to be a health hazard for girls.

“Although the family had a reprieve for a while, the community was relentless in their demand and when the girls turned ten, the pressure became unbearable for the family and they had to flee and stay away to save their lives.” Mrs. Olutimenyi said.

Continuing, Mrs. Olutimenyi said that their family is experiencing severe challenges of living happily as one because of the stress caused by the separation of members.

Explaining that it is difficult for her to understand why such a barbaric, inhuman and harmful traditional practices are still promoted, Mrs. Olutimenyi said she feels that so many traditional institutions are not listening to the campaign to stop FGM.

Emphasisng that she is speaking in pains of someone who is experiencing the hazards of separation, she said she is calling for help from all who can offer it to ensure that the family can know the peace it has hitherto enjoyed.

“I know that a lot of communities find the transition from old practices very difficult. I can see that there is more work to be done in seeing to the safety of the girl child in this community where the belief of Mrs. Amawu-Charles has made her to be considered a strange woman and her life being endangered. But I am confident that there will come a time when this belief in FGM will become an issue in the dustbin of culture.

Then girls and their families who opposed the practice will find peace to live together.” She said.

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Law & Crime

Delta: Police Arrest Four Boys For Allegedly buying hard drugs

Published

2 months ago

July 13, 2023

The Gleamer

By Owen Àkeñzua, Asaba

The Nigeria Police have arrested four boys suspected to be Yahoo boys for allegedly buying hard drugs from a pharmacy store at Uti Street in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area.

It was gathered that the police men were driving through the pharmacy store when they saw the boys at the store buying substance that were suspected to be hard drugs.

They went straight to the boys, on seeing the police men walking towards their direction, one of the boys tried to escape but he was caught up by the police men.

Our correspondent reported that the boys were apprehended with some substance suspected to be hard drugs in their hands.

According to our correspondent, the four were resisting arrest but were forcefully taken away by the police men in their car to Ekpan Police Station for further investigation.

The salesperson in the pharmacy store was also arrested and the store was locked up by the police men.

The incident attracted the attention of passersby who were wondering how the police men knew that the boys were buying hard drugs. DSP Bright Edafe, Police Public Relations Officer in Delta State Police Command, confirmed the incident disclosing that investigation was ongoing.

Meanwhile, The Okwelegwe of Onicha Ugbo in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State, Chief Ebi Odegah has appealed to the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Wale Abass to release officers posted to the community police station.

Odegah, who made the appeal while playing host to newsmen at Onicha Ugbo, explained that it had become necessary, saying that the vigilante group in the town was not trained and well-equipped to handle high level of security breach and criminality.

He added that the security needs of the community were beyond the capacity of the vigilante, just as he called on well-placed individuals to support their operations by fortifying the officers.

On the issue of flooding in the community, Chief Odegah similarly appealed to the state government to construct the internal roads with deep drainage channel to a designated borrowed pit.

Also, on the activities of the youth in the community, he stressed that they needed to be counseled to enable them

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