Hunted Across Borders: The Nigerian Woman Who Fled FGM As Violence Claimed Her Cousin

The 2019 death of Toju Edema exposed years of fear, violence, and intimidation surrounding Tega Faith Edema-Osajivbe, a Nigerian woman forced to flee her homeland to escape Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

The violence against Tega’s family was tied to an annual circumcision ritual held every May in their Urhobo community in Delta State, where FGM is regarded as a deeply rooted cultural obligation for girls and women.

In May 2018, armed men stormed the Edema family home believing Tega had secretly returned to Nigeria after fleeing abroad. Instead, they found her cousin, Amina (Efe) Ogaga, whom they mistook for Tega. Amina was abducted and held captive until her captors discovered she had already undergone circumcision. She was eventually released and later found by police, who contacted Tega’s mother with the news. The shock reportedly caused her mother to faint before she later recovered.

But the attacks did not stop.

In May 2019, armed men again invaded the family home during the yearly ritual in search of Tega. This time, they attacked her cousin, Toju Edema, after once again mistaking her for the fugitive relative they believed had returned. Toju suffered severe injuries during the assault and later died on September 30, 2019.

The incidents highlighted the continuing danger surrounding Tega, who had already fled Nigeria in 2017 after years of threats linked to FGM.

Born in Lagos State and originally from an Urhobo clan in Delta State, Tega grew up in a family that openly rejected the practice. Her mother refused to allow her to be circumcised as a child, while her father strongly supported the decision.
Their resistance came at a cost. Community leaders reportedly stripped her father of his traditional chieftaincy title and excluded the family from important clan affairs.

The family also faced repeated violence for refusing to participate in the annual circumcision ceremonies. In June 2011, armed men allegedly attacked their home, destroyed property, assaulted security guards, and forced the family to flee for safety.

Despite relocating to the United States in 2017, Tega reportedly remained a target, with members of her community continuing to search for her and insisting the ritual must still be carried out in accordance with tradition