Grandfather Mistakenly Cuts off 8 Month Old Baby’s Genitals During Circumcision

Ziworitin Keke, a 59-year-old grandfather, mistakenly chopped off half of his 8-month-old step-grandson’s genitals while circumcising the boy at Ondewari, a coastal settlement in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa state.

According to Punch, the infant is currently receiving medical care at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, the Bayelsa capital. It was gathered that Keke, a well known ‘specialist’ in circumcision in the area, almost “chopped off half of the baby’s genitals.”

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Joseph Michael, the baby’s father said that his wife took the infant to a health centre following the incident.

”After cutting off my boy’s penis, the man, who is married to my son’s grandmother, told my wife to leave the child with him for at least three weeks so that he could treat him very well.

But my wife refused because the boy was bleeding and she rushed him to the health centre at Korokorosei, a neigbouring community to us.”

Speaking further, he said that they were referred to the Federal Medical Centre Yenagoa for specialised medical care, adding that he was in financial distress as he could not afford the cost of treatment.

In response to the unfortunate incident, Alagoa Morris, a human rights activist, said that the incident would have been avoided if government had provided health facilities to rural communities.

”My first concern is with the baby going through the terrifying pain. The man who performed the circumcision is a renowned traditional circumcision expert in the community and even beyond. He has successfully carried out the service at no cost to parents for many years including two older brothers of the victim.

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This must have been a mistake. More than 1,000 circumcisions have been performed by him without any complication. So, calls for his arrest are misplaced. A lot of residents in the community have no access to medical facilities and they believe and resort to traditional medicine men, traditional birth attendants inclusive.

It is imperative for the state and local governments to join forces and make orthodox medical service available to rural dwellers in the coastlines and riversides. Only then will the people have a choice,” Alagoa said.

The International Federation of Women Lawyers in Bayelsa has however, called for the arrest and prosecution of the grandfather.

Dise Ogbise-Erhisere, Chairperson of FIDA in the state, who made the call after visiting the infant at the medical centre, said they had petitioned the office of the commissioner of police on the matter.