The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has declared that female circumcision is a criminal offense punishable by a four-year prison sentence. This announcement was made through a post shared on NAPTIP’s official Twitter handle, @naptipnigeria, on Sunday.
In response to a query from a member of the public, @realmuhammadd, regarding the necessity of circumcising newborn baby girls, another user, @AAAlhlaji21, suggested that circumcision is essential to prevent future promiscuity in girls.
NAPTIP refuted the belief that female circumcision prevents promiscuity and emphasized that it is a criminal act. The agency clarified that female circumcision is prohibited under the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP) of 2015 and various state VAPP laws. Perpetrators of female circumcision face a potential prison term of up to four years, while attempted circumcision carries a two-year imprisonment penalty.
