Despite stopping the killing of twins at infancy in Nigeria many years ago by Mary Slessor in Calabar, Cross River state, some communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) still indulge in the practice, a News Agency of Nigeria investigation has revealed.
The communities are: Gbajingala clan of Basa Komo, Chukuku, Gaube, Chibiri, Kulo, Kiyi, Gawu, and Sabo in Kuje area council.
The investigation also revealed that Dogon Ruwa, Fuka, Gomani, Lapa, Gurugi, Sadaba, Kwala and Keru communities in Kwali area council also engage in the evil act.
The culture, which was practised by the people of Calabar many years ago, was stopped by a Scottish missionary, the late Mary Slessor.
It was the belief in Calabar at the time, that if women had twins, one of them was a devil, and so the twins were left in the jungle in clay pots to die.
Aside rejecting or killing twins, the FCT communities also reject multiple births such as triplets, quadruplets, babies born with Down syndrome, and any other form of deformity.
It was also discovered that the communities also reject children who grow the upper tooth first.
They view them as mysterious, evil babies and a bad omen, which was not acceptable and should be killed.
While some of the communities engage in the barbaric practice in the open, others do it secretly.
Though, NAN sought to speak with some indigenes of the communities, they declined comment for fear of being found out, but for one Zaka Musa of Kiyi.
Musa said families who engaged in the practice had yet to embrace civilisation, in spite of the level of awareness by religious leaders.
NAN also contacted leaders of some of the communities. While some denied knowledge of the practice, others claimed it had been stopped some years ago.
Jibrin Sarki, the community leader of Chukuku, said he had not received any such case.
Also, the community leader of Guabe, Zaki Tanko, told NAN that the culture had been long abolished in the area.
A missionary and founder of Vine Heritage Home, an orphanage in Kuje, Stephen Olusola, who confirmed the evil practice to NAN, frowned at the culture.
Olusola said his Foundation had received cases of rejected twins, triplets and multiple children from the communities.
He noted that in spite of the abolition of the barbaric tradition many years ago, it was worrisome that some communities in the nation’s seat of power still indulged in it.
Olusola said the communities that engaged in the practice believed that twins and triplets and multiple births were evil babies, and should be put away from the people.
