Circumcision controversy: Sanni Eleju family declares war on woman for sabotaging tradition

The popular Sanni Eleju family of Lagos have declared war on one Mrs. Mustapha Olaide Barakat for allegedly sabotaging their sacred tradition on girl-child circumcision. The family has also placed a mouth-watering reward for anyone with useful information on the whereabouts of the woman, who is currently at large.

In a statement signed by the Sanni Eleju family head, Alhaji Musbau Sanni, the accused person (Mrs Mustapha Olaide Barakat) was said to have prevented the family from carrying out their mandatory genital circumcision on one of their grand-daughters, Fadheelah Aramide Sanni, who was born on 17 September 2018, thereby committing a punishable and abominable act against their revered family customs and tradition.

“Let me state it categorically that the Sanni Eleju family is one that doesn’t joke with her ancestral customs and traditional beliefs, and any attempt to sabotage this would be considered as an invitation to chaos because we will do everything to protect what our forefathers stand for.

“Mrs. Mustapha Olaide Barakat, who is married to one of our sons has committed a sacrilege by denying this family access to our grand-daughter, Fadheelah Aramide Sanni for circumcision. She also had the audacity to incite other women against the custom and tradition of our forefathers. We will definitely arrest her and make her pay dearly for her crime. We have also reported this case to the police, and they are currently investigating. We also have a big reward for anyone with useful information on her whereabouts,” the statement reads.

Meanwhile, it was gathered that Mrs. Barakat had initially lost a daughter who died from severe bleeding after being circumcised some years ago, but the Sanni family argued that it was just an accident, which is not supposed to hinder their traditional belief in circumcision exercise.