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A woman from Edo State is currently in detention for taking her infant daughter to Nigeria for circumcision.
Female Ge+++tal Mutilation (FGM) is a criminal offence in Norway and other parts of Europe, attracting a lenghthy jail term.
Ms Isoken (not real name) had first moved from Nigeria to Italy in 2010 where she said she applied for asylum, but was refused. She lived in Torino for 3 years as an illegal immigrant, hiding from authorities until 2013 when her boyfriend from Nigeria joined her, she got pregnant few months later.
Her lover, Mstr Idowu (not real name) had also filed in an application for asylum with the Italian authorities, but was denied, he made several unsuccessful appeal, and was given a time frame for voluntary departure from Italy.
Speaking with an STB correspondent, Isoken stated, they were both confused, didn't know what to do, none of them had permission to stay in the country, without the appropriate documents she and Idowu could not find jobs. They were struggling to feed, with no place to stay and a baby on the way, they decided to relocate to other parts of Europe.
The couple approached a lady for assistance, she lived in the capital city and was known to help undocumented migrants move across country borders. The lady was willingly to help them get into Sweden or Norway, at a particular fee, which they could not afford.
The pair decided that Isoken leave first, while Idowu joins her afterwards. She was to seek for protection with the Swedish or Norwegian authorities on humanitarian grounds; she was pregnant and in fear that her baby will be circumcised if she was sent back to Nigeria.
Armed with these instructions and documents provided by Lady ABC in the capital city of Italy, she left for Norway.
Everything went well, upon arrival, she reported herself to Norwegian authorities as an asylum seeker, her condition (pregnancy) was visible, it didn't take long before she was provided with an accommodation, appropriate health care and placed on a monthly stipend.
Her asylum application was successful, she gave birth to a bouncing baby girl, her partner was making plans to join her in Norway.
They would get married and he will be granted permission to live in Norway.
Her baby was 5 months old when Isoken decided to travel to Nigeria to have the baby girl circumcised.
Probably forgetting that the reason her asylum application was granted was because she feared her unborn baby will be subjected to the FGM.
Isoken travelled with her baby, spent 3 weeks in Nigeria, subjected the child to the very act she claimed was the reason she ran away from Nigeria.
She arrived in Oslo and continued her life as normal; attending her language course and caring for her daughter.
Few days after she arrived, her doctor contacted her, ''would you please bring baby MO for a routine examination,within the next few days?''.
''That phone cal changed my life forever, i knew that something was wrong, because it was not time for me to take my baby to the Hospital for check up'' she said.
She didn't show up for the appointment, she sent words home to her family ''please pray for me, do whatever you can, i think these people know what i took baby MO for in Nigeria''.
In Europe, you cannot hide for too long, especially when your accommodation, phone bills, Internet bills, electricity, are being paid by the government.
Social welfare showed up at Isoken's home, compelled her to take baby MO to the hospital for examination, where it was revealed that baby MO has been cut.
When the doctor discovered what has been done, he immediately contacted the police, Isoken was subsequently taken in for questioning.
In her defence, she said, she only went to Nigeria to show baby MO to her parents and was not aware when the deed was done. Authorities weren't buying her story. She could not give a cogent reason why she made a trip to Nigeria few months after the birth of baby MO, when she knew the usual practise in her home town.
Authorities referred to her asylum application and interview, where she informed them that there was a 99.9% chance for her child to be subject to FGM if taken to Nigeria, why then did she go there knowing she would be facing the inevitable.
Her refugee status was soon after revoked, with all social benefits which she enjoys suspended. Baby MO was taken by child protection services right from her doctors office where the FGM discovery was made.
Now Isoken with no permission to remain in Norway and committing a crime punishable in Norwegian law, not only faces deportation but a lengthy jail term as the case was about to be taken to court when she spoke with our correspondent.
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