Drama as lawyer in traditional attire attends S’Court’s proceedings

June 23, 2022

A mild drama ensued at the Supreme Court in Abuja on Thursday after a lawyer, Malcolm Omoirhobo, dressed as a traditionalist and attended proceedings at the apex court.

Omoirhobo, who was also barefoot, said he decided to dress as a traditionalist over a Supreme Court ruling that Nigerians were free to dress in their religious attires.

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“By the Supreme Court judgement, we have been given license to dress in our religious attires.

“It would be a flagrant violation of my fundamental right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion for anyone to stop me.

“I said I need to also be appearing in my religious attire of worship because it is good for man to be with God all the time. This is my mode henceforth,” he told journalists on Thursday.

The Star recalls that Supreme Court, last Friday, approved the use of hijab by Muslims Female Students in Lagos State to school without harassment or discrimination.

The apex court gave the ruling in an appeal – Lagos State Government and Ors V. Asiyat AbdulKareem with suit number SC/910/16 – in Abuja.

A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court affirmed the July 21, 2016 judgement of the Court of Appeal, Lagos, which set aside the October 17, 2014 judgement by Justice Grace Onyeabo of the High Court of Lagos State sitting in Ikeja, which upheld the hijab restriction.

The Lagos State Government had in February 2017 approached the Supreme Court to challenge the July 21, 2016 judgement of the Court of Appeal which reinstated the use of hijab by Muslim pupils in Lagos public primary and secondary schools.

The development came after the Lagos State Government sought to stay the execution of the judgment at the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal but failed.