Muslim human rights organisation and one of the advocates of Hijab right in Nigeria, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has told the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, to ignore Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN) and his ill-informed remarks about the recently approved mini hijab on police uniform.
Mr. Adegboruwa (SAN) has declared in a statement that the approved hijab by the Nigerian Police is illegal. But, MURIC has responded, through its chairman in Akwa Ibom State, Ustadh Jibril Ayu-Akpanim.
The statement issued on Sunday, March 6, reads:
“Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN) yesterday declared the recently approved hijab by the Nigerian Police as illegal. Of course we know his antecedents. He has never shown any support for the civil rights struggles of Nigerian Muslims. His opposition to the approval of hijab in the police force is therefore understandable. Adegboruwa is simply staying in character. Our considered opinion is that the Nigerian Police should ignore his razzmatazz.
“How can a whole SAN oppose a matter of fundamental human rights? It is paradoxical that those who know the law are the ones who adopt prejudice against civil rights matters. Adegboruwa’s vituperation sprang from personal acrobatic religiousity. His articles and comments on hijab crisis in Kwara and other places symptomize bias, intolerance and a pathological hatred for Muslims.
“Is this the same senior lawyer who has been articulate on human rights in Nigeria all these years? We are appalled that he has elected selective justice. It means Adegboruwa’s definition of human rights is exclusive. Muslims must not enjoy human rights. Muslims have no place in his concept of equal rights, freedom and justice. Adegboruwa has exposed himself as an Muslim-hater nulli secundus.
“Adegboruwa should be stripped of his SAN title. A senior lawyer who ignored the tyranny of school principals and teachers who have been persecuting innocent school girls over an ordinary head scarf for decades but jumps up within 24 hours to oppose a window of liberty for them does not deserve the highest decoration in his profession.
“The SAN is asking how catholics and Anglican women police should dress now that their Muslim colleagues have been allowed to use hijab. He should tell us how catholic and Anglican police women dress in Britain, America, Canada, etc. By the way, is Adegoruwa telling us that he has never seen pictures of Mary the mother of Jesus (peace be upon him)? Has he ever seen Mary without hijab on her head? Bigotry is indeed an almost incurable decease.
“Adegboruwa should ask catholic and Anglican police women to demand their own form of dress code if such a thing exists in real life. He will be surprised to see that Nigerian Muslims will not oppose their demand. Islam condemns pettiness and selfishness. It teaches Muslims to live and let others live. Anyway, Adegboruwa may advise Catholic and Anglican police women to dress like Mary, the much honoured mother of Jesus (peace be upon him).
“Adegboruwa should know that the current uniform of the police satisfies Nigerian Christians because it was designed ab initio by the British colonialists who, essentially, were Christians. That is why Nigerian Christians have never complained about uniforms in schools and in the security agencies.
“Muslim interest was not taken into consideration by the colonialists when they were designing uniforms for schools and the security agencies. Justice and the need for inclusiveness demands that the design should be reviewed in post-independence period. That is why even the recent approval must be seen as belated.
“Quarter-finally, has Adegboruwa forgotten the outcome of the hocus pocus created in Osun State when the court approved hijab and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) incited Christian students to wear ridiculous garbs like church choir, Sango, Oya and masquerade dresses to school? How long did it last? He should go to the state today to see how the female Muslim students shine with their hijab. No matter how fast falsehood runs and for how long, truth will catch up with it in a single day.
“Semi-finally, we advise Adegboruwa to go to court if he feels so strongly that Muslim female police women have no right to use hijab. He may also want to go further by approaching the international court at the Hagues to stop British, American and Canadian police women and soldiers from using same. Islamophobia in the legal profession is not new to us. The Amasa Firdaus matter on our minds. The learned silk may do well to consult his colleagues at the highly esteemed Council of Legal Education and the Body of Benchers before plunging into his prejudiced, ill-advised, ill-fated and anti-Muslim adventure.
“Finally, we congratulate all female Muslim police women in Nigeria on their newly won freedom. Nigerians have seen many of them on the streets wearing the hijab with their uniform in the past few days. They look awesome, fantabulous, fantasmagoric and fantaslamic. We urge them to continue using it. Without a court pronouncement, no lawyer from anywhere can force them to remove it. Not even a SAN.”
Ustadh Jibril Ayu-Akpanim,
Chairman,
Akwa Ibom Chapter,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).
