Mr. Adio Soliu Abdulrahman and his wife are mourning the death of their infant son, Omobolaji Taoreed Abdulrahman who was born on February 1, 2023.
Two-year old Omobolaji died following a ritual scarification allegedly performed by extended family members to “prove” his bloodline—a practice Adio said had long haunted his lineage.
Speaking from their home in 1st Utagban Community, Upper Ekenwan Road, Oredo Local Government Area, Edo State, a visibly distraught grieving father recounted how he had spent years trying to shield his wife and child from this bizarre ancestral customs.
He explained that “In my family, harmful rites like female genital mutilation for girls with facial marks, and stomach and facial scarification for boys, are still strictly enforced. I still carry the scars from my own childhood but I never told my wife of these terrible cultural practices before we got married”
Abdulrahman added that the pressure to conform began even before his father’s death last year.
He disclosed that his late father frequently warned him to keep his distance from the family elders.
Despite his efforts, Abdulrahman said the family elders through a false family reconciliatory meeting caught up with his family and before he could raise any resistance the scarification was done for his son after which he died
He revealed that “within our family, there exists a long-standing belief that if a child dies during or after the scarification ritual, it means the child does not belong to the bloodline.
“They call it our DNA test, if a child survives, he’s considered a true son. If he dies, they say he doesn’t belong to our family”.
The grieving father said that at a point he was forced to accuse his wife of infidelity but he knew deep down that he was only being influenced by the terrible cultural practices and the lies of the family elders, adding that he knew that his wife remain faithful to him in their marriage.
He insisted that his family’s tragedy is not an isolated incident. He named several other relatives who have either lost children or fled to escape similar rituals.
“One of my relatives, Mr. Abdulrahman Akeem, also lost a child during one of these rituals. Others have been threatened, harassed, or forced into compliance.”
He also cited the case of Abdulrahman Tajudeen Adeilo who fled with his wife and children across state lines to avoid the ritual. According to Adio, when the family discovered that Idris’s wife was the one resisting, she allegedly became a target.
“They killed her spiritually,” Adio claimed. “After her death, Idris had no choice. He eventually submitted his children for the ritual.”
Others, like his uncle Abdulrahman Jeleel Akanni and another relative, Abdulrahman Abass Abiodun, along with their wives and children, were reportedly forced to flee the country.
“They track people down. They have both spiritual and social influence. If you resist, they will make life unbearable,” he said
Abdulrahman explained that the ritual is performed on both boys and girls. Girls may undergo facial scarification and genital mutilation, while boys are cut on their stomachs and faces—often without anesthesia or medical care.
“So many wives have left because of this evil,” he said. “Families are breaking. Children are dying but the elders still insist the tradition must continue”, he lamented
At the core of this belief, Abdulrahman said, is a warped sense of honor based on blood purity.
“They say it’s better for a child to die during or after the ritual than to raise a child who isn’t biologically yours. That’s how twisted it has become.”
Abdulrahman said that he was speaking out—not only to honor his son’s memory but to urge society to confront and reject deadly cultural practices.
“Tradition should never kill. My son was innocent. My son deserved to live”, he submitted