Bill seeks to outlaw tribal markings

A Bill prohibiting ‘facial mutilation’ has passed its second reading in Nigeria’s Senate. A report on the Naij site notes that Senator Dino Melaye, who sponsored the Bill, conceded that many people used ‘tribal marks’ as a means of identification while parents use them to confirm the identity of their children. However, the lawmaker said the instruments used for the practice are not sterilised, raising the risk of people being infected by HIV or hepatitis. He added that ‘many have cursed the day when this dastardly act was performed on them’.