The story in the newspaper
20th of August, 2019.
Mr Monday V Bello recounts his ordeal in the hand of his family as a result of repugnant customs and traditions.
Mr Monday V Bello, born on January 13th, 1975 to the family of chief Amujo Felix Okunola Bello, a cocoa farmer and a tailoring and Mrs.
Nofisatu Felia Aweni Bello from Akunu- Akoko in Akoko Northeast Local
government area of Ondo State, Nigeria.
Akunu-Akoko is one of the towns in Yoruba land where traditions are as old as the soil
and as unyielding as stone and his father was a strong community leader and one of the traditional law makers in the town.
He recounted that it is the tradition in his hometown that a child must have a traditional tribal mark on the left side of his or her face before such a child is considered to be part of the community or start any formal education.
when he was very young, the same thing was did to him and in the process of him trying to resist , he was forcefully held down and it resulted to a deep cut on the left side of his face which has now become a scar on the left part of his face which is the consequence of the archaic and repugnant
He almost lost his sight and the scar had since been with him forever.
Growing up with this mark he was subject to series of untoward hardships, harassment, trauma and discrimination.
He was mocked daily in school and his peers called him “OLOJU META” in yoruba dialect which means “A three eyed person”.
Those words according to him cut
into him as deeply as the scar itself.
He cried silently, wondering why such a painful
tradition could be forced on him.
He lost confidence in himself as a result of this dastardly act and
even as an adult, he is still carrying the shame, emotional trauma, and physical scar as a reminder
of what was done to him against his will.
As he grew older, he found strength in building a new life for himself. He was blessed to
meet and marry his beautiful wife ABIMOLA who comes from Ogori Magongo tribal
group in Kogi state, Nigeria, a different tribe where such hideous practices are not encouraged and/or tolerated.
God blessed his marriage with three wonderful children: Olamilekan, Olasubomi, and
Olanlesi. His hope and happiness became renewed and he made a solemn vow to
Himself that none of his offspring would ever be subjected to this nightmare.
While he was still basking in the euphoria of his new happiness, the devilish custom came knocking at his door once again, this time around, it didn’t come for him or his wife, but for his children. Not to steal but to destroy all what he has labored for by subjecting the children to no other thing but a life full of misery, emotional and psychological servitude and suffering
He tried to make his father see reasons why this practice of tribal mark infliction is no longer acceptable but unfortunately , his father being a strong community leader and one of the decision makers he must act according to the custom and tradition of the town to be an example for other traditionalists.
That was the beginning of his travail. The whole community turned against him. He was subjected to various life threatening messages and calls from traditionalists in the community. Infact at a point, they told him point blank that if he persists to disobey the custom by not bringing his children for the tribal mark incision, his children will
His innocent wife was accused of being the one influencing his decision against their custom and tradition and as a result they also threatened to harm his wife and that his family will cease to exist unless he danced to their tune.
He could no longer sleep with his eyes closed to the extent that he started sleeping from one hotel to the other with his wife and children.
The community leaders and youths kept on with their threats to kidnap his children and end their lives.
Terrified and confused, he went to the state police station at Ibadan to report these threats, but the
officer told him it was a family matter and part of tradition. So, they could not intervene.
When he could no longer handle the threats, he had to flee to Akure with his family to stay with one of his childhood friend, in Ondo State who advised them to make a report at the Area command office to forestall any unforeseen circumstances that may jeopardize their stay with him as a result of his refusal to succumb to the primitive tradition.
Despite all his efforts to shield his children from the intending loom, nothing has been done to savage his predicament. His community is after his life and that of his wife and children.
Such practices are condemnable and should not be tolerated. He wants the entire nation to please come to his aid.
