Nigerian actress Victoria Inyama has opened up about her experience with female circumcision, describing it as both traumatic and, in her view, beneficial.

Female circumcision, also known as female genital mutilation (FGM), refers to all procedures involving the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

Globally, FGM is recognised as a violation of human rights. It affects more than 230 million women and girls, with an estimated 22.7 million more at risk by 2030.

Speaking during an Instagram Live session hosted by broadcaster Ifedayo Olarinde on Wednesday, the Enugu-born actress praised her grandmother for having her circumcised at a young age.

“Best thing”

Known for her role in Orange Girl, Inyama acknowledged that FGM is harmful, yet described it as one of the “best things” that ever happened to her.

She said, “FGM is evil, but you don’t have to deal with the consequences of that thing. I was circumcised because I grew up in the village with my grandmother. That is what is helping me, and that’s the best thing that they did for me. I swear to God, because if I say I am not doing it, I am not doing it, and that is the power that I have as a woman. Nobody can say they saw me in the hotel.

“That’s the best thing my grandmother did for me. Anybody saying she goes up and down to look for satisfaction because of that means she doesn’t know herself. I think I was probably five or six years old when it was done. I can remember the pain, the trauma, yes. They will give you something to drink, and after drinking you’ll just be.”

On her daughters

The actress also stated that she would support the circumcision of her daughters if their father, Godwin Okri, consented, despite acknowledging the trauma she personally experienced.

Inyama married Mr Okri in 2003, but their marriage ended in 2018. They had three children.

This newspaper reported that she alleged Mr Okri of domestic violence, which she said she endured for a long time.

“I think I fainted. It’s a specialist who does it, and it’s just one swipe. My daughters are British, and it’s a crime. If their father said yes, I’ll agree because I was circumcised, even though I had the trauma. I think that’s the best thing that happened to me.

“If I don’t love you, I can’t go into doing runs because it’s not going to happen. God, the one who carries me, knows He can’t leave me in Nigeria, and you can’t sustain yourself. So come abroad and stay. Let them be paying you per hour, per hour. Because I feel that’s the best thing my grandmother did for me. God bless her soul,” she said.

Others who have spoken

Inyama is not alone in sharing such experiences. Filmmaker Biodun Stephen and blogger Linda Ikeji have also publicly discussed being circumcised.

Stephen revealed, during an interview on the “Dear Ife” series by Ifedayo Agoro, that her grandmother arranged the procedure when she was about six years old, adding that she still remembers the pain. She noted that her mother and sister were also circumcised before opposition to the practice grew.

Ikeji, on her part, said the experience affected her sexual pleasure. She explained that while she enjoyed certain forms of intimacy, penetration felt different and less pleasurable, which she attributed to the procedure.

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Backstory

In February 2025, the federal government renewed its commitment to eliminating FGM, calling for urgent and coordinated action to protect women and girls.

The Minister of Women’s Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, described the practice as a grave violation of human rights and stressed the need for decisive steps to end it.

Similarly, the World Health Organisation warns that FGM exposes victims to severe immediate risks, including intense pain, shock, heavy bleeding, infections and difficulty urinating, as well as long-term complications affecting sexual and reproductive health and mental wellbeing.

'Circumcision, one of the best things that happened to me' - Actress Victoria Inyama

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