Actress Victoria Inyama has issued a public apology after facing heavy criticism over comments she made appearing to support female circumcision during a livestream conversation with media personality Daddy Freeze.
The controversy erupted after the actress spoke about her personal experience and suggested the practice had been beneficial to her, remarks that quickly triggered outrage, with many condemning the comments as dangerous and insensitive.
Now, amid growing backlash, Victoria has walked back those remarks, admitting she did not fully understand the gravity of female genital mutilation and saying she spoke from ignorance.
In a video shared on Daddy Freeze’s Instagram page, the actress acknowledged she had been educated after the interview by a midwife and others close to her, and said those conversations had completely changed her understanding.
“I was totally uninformed about this FGM thing. Now I am informed. So now I am going to do better,” she said.
Victoria explained that she had wrongly assumed the issue was limited to what she described as “the basics,” saying she had not understood the severe forms of mutilation many girls and women have endured.
She said hearing personal accounts, including from a woman close to her who was hospitalised as a teenager because of the practice, opened her eyes to its painful realities.
“FGM is bad,” she said plainly, distancing herself from the position many believed she earlier defended.
Her apology has drawn fresh reactions online, with some praising her for acknowledging her mistake publicly, while others say the incident shows why public figures must be cautious when discussing harmful traditional practices.
Female genital mutilation has long been condemned globally because of the physical and psychological harm linked to it, and in Nigeria, the practice is prohibited under law, though it remains present in some communities.
Victoria’s remarks had sparked especially strong criticism because many advocates feared her earlier comments could appear to normalize a practice campaigners have spent years fighting against.
Her apology now appears aimed at correcting that.
She also said she intends to be better informed in future conversations involving sensitive social issues.
What began as a controversial podcast moment has now turned into a wider conversation about awareness, tradition and accountability.
And for Victoria Inyama, the message in her latest response was clear: she was wrong, she has listened, and she is publicly owning it.
