A young woman identified as Emeterhire has tragically died in Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, after being subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) following complications during childbirth. Emeterhire, from Ogwashi-Uku in Aniocha South Local Government Area, had escaped her village years earlier to avoid the harmful traditional practice.
FGM, viewed in the community as a sacred ritual to "purify" women and prepare them for marriage, has continued despite widespread opposition. Sources from the village revealed that Emeterhire’s mother, Erhuvwun, had also undergone the ritual in her youth, surviving but bearing lifelong emotional and physical scars.
Emeterhire had built a peaceful life in Asaba, where she fell in love and was expecting her first child. However, her mother urged her to return to Ogwashi-Uku before childbirth, fearing that the baby would be cursed without the community’s traditional blessings. Emeterhire returned home, unaware that the village elders, who had long resented her for avoiding FGM, were waiting to impose the ritual.
During her difficult labour, the elders seized the moment and forced her into the ceremony she had once fled. In the middle of the night, weakened by childbirth and unable to resist, Emeterhire was taken to a ceremonial ground where the procedure was carried out without her consent. The combination of labour complications and the trauma of FGM proved too much for her body, and by dawn, she had died, leaving behind a newborn child.
Her death has sparked outrage among rights activists and local advocates who have condemned the practice of FGM in the region. “This is a tragic example of how harmful cultural practices rob women of their lives,” a local activist stated, calling for urgent action to protect women and girls from such dangerous customs.
Emeterhire’s mother, heartbroken by the loss of her daughter, has vowed to protect her granddaughter from experiencing the same fate. She hopes that her daughter’s death will mark a turning point in the fight to end FGM in Ogwashi-Uku and across Nigeria.
Emeterhire’s story has reignited calls for reform and education in communities where harmful traditions still persist. While local authorities have yet to comment on the incident, there is increasing pressure on the government to enforce stricter laws against FGM and ensure those responsible for her death are brought to justice.
