The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), has said that female circumcision is a crime that attracts a four-year jail term.
The agency disclosed this in a post it shared on its official X handle, @naptipnigeria, on Sunday which was sighted by Africa Today News, New York.
A member of the public on his X handle, @realmuhammadd, had asked if it was a must for a newly born baby girl to be circumcised.
Another X user with the handle @AAAlhlaji21 responded, saying it is important to perform circumcision on baby girls to prevent them from being promiscuous when they grow up.
The agency, however, dismissed the myth of circumcising a baby girl to prevent them from being promiscuous when they grow up, warning against the practice.
“Dear Muhammad- Just so you know, female circumcision is a crime under the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP) 2015 and under various states’ VAPP laws.
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“Anyone who performs female circumcision is liable to up to four years imprisonment; an attempt attracts two years imprisonment,” NAPTIP stated.
According to the agency, anyone who incites, aids, or counsels another person to commit the offence of female circumcision is liable to up to two years imprisonment.
“We urge you to use this as a teaching moment to also educate others. Remember, “female circumcision, genital mutilation” is a crime, ” it stated.
Recall that NAPTIP had a fortnight ago revealed that information at its disposal shows that over 2,000 trafficked Nigerian girls are currently stranded in Mali.
Mr. Nduka Nwanwene who made this disclosure on Monday, added that the agency had intelligence that girls from Mali were being trafficked to Edo State for prostitution.
Nwanwene spoke during the 2023 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons in Benin, with the theme ‘Reach every victim of trafficking, leave no one behind.’