LAGOS, Nigeria -- Ninety Nigerian women appeared in court in Lagos Friday charged with dressing immodestly and "conduct likely to cause breach of public peace," officials said.

"The girls' dresses were in bad taste and they were picked up from where good girls should not be found," said a police officer.

The women aged 20 to 25 were believed to have been arrested Wednesday in various parts of Lagos. Three men are also standing trial in the case.

Some of the defendants have said that they were doing nothing wrong.

"My student identity cards could not even convince the policemen that I am not a prostitute," said Abosede Ekpeyong, adding that she was detained while waiting for a lift.

Magistrate Adeola Adedayo granted the defendants bail of 20,000 naira ($153.80) and adjourned the trial until August 24.

In recent years Nigeria has seen a public outcry against alleged indecent dressing by young women and the copying of Western styles.

Some universities have issued dress codes while religious organizations and the media have mounted regular campaigns to discourage "indecent" dressing.

http://www.metimes.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20070727-113332-5309r

naija police don start again oh!

more opportunities for egunje and bribe since dem don disband checkpoints

before na arrest for wandering, now na for indecent dressing, abi Lagos don implement sharia as well?

reminds me of an article i read the other day, a man was chilling outside his house to drink 'shekpe' (local alcoholic beverage) when policemen in one danfo just drove by and arrested him! God saved him that he was a journalist and had friends to call so that the yeye policemen let him go, if not he has to settle like 5,000, which gets more and more as you get closer to the station, and once you are there, na plenty abeg + more cash that will let you go.

Of course the police will claim that they were arresting prostitutes, who coincidentally roam the streets scantly dressed to attract Johns. But, trust Naija police, if you give them an inch, they'll gladly take a mile. Anybody in the vicinity of a raid is automatically a suspect, and must either be bailed (cash consideration) at the station, or you languish in jail till, if you're lucky, they complete investigation and charge you to court.

These are the so-called Opio them. This is sharia infiltration in the SOUTH of Nigeria.

http://www.thenewsng.com/modules/zmagazine/article.php?articleid=17969

I guess Sharia has finally infiltrated the south, Lagos of all places. That Governor should be impeached. Talk about chasing shadows.

A textile worker at Oshodi who was also docked at the crowded court told P.M.News that she was on her way home when she was arrested at Ikeja by policemen who accused her of being a prostitute.

“They accused me of wearing a mini skirt and a short T-shirt. I told them that I had just closed from work and showed them my identity card but they did not listen to me. They took me to their station where I met some other arrested ladies. They called all of us prostitutes.

“At night, some of them will come and start touching our breasts and I was not a prostitute, but they wouldn’t listen,” the lady who identified herself as Chinwe Okorie narrated to P.M.News.

A mother of two who gave her name as Mrs. Chiegozie Albert said she was arrested along Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way Ikeja while going to the market.

what is wrong with these rogues and perverts in uniform called the police?
are there no women in government to speak out loud and clear on this inhuman treatment of innocent women?
When did Lagos become Afghanistan?

let someone point out one person in that picture that is scantilly dressed?
shabbily dressed maybe some are guilty but is that a crime?
I am so outraged

who will fight for them now? were are the women in government in nigeria? it's a shame to allow something of such to happen. the police has no right to touch anyone there. those ugly police with smelling mouth! i feel for those women even if all of them were to be prostitutes. no one is supposed to be treated like that.

oh pity!! women in nigeria are still suffering and degraded. why should they sit like that on the ground?? someone should do something please am going crazy seeing all those ladies on the ground.

omoge I feel the way you do here.
any of those ladies would easily have been you or I or our sisters and cousins.
This is injustice to the highest order,I'm looking for a way to relay that story to amnesty international.
This sharia like madness has gone out of hands.

Idiocy at work. When does one dress code defines who they are. I can still vividly recall the so-called "saints" during my secondary school days, who would have worn a sheet if they were allowed to.  Yet they were the same ones "shagging by ages 15/16(in secrecy of course).In other words your dress code does not in anyway define who you are.


Although I do not in anyway condone the practice of indecent exposoure ( well at Carnival we do let loose in the Islands), I am totally against anyone being brought up on charges for their attire.  To each it's own. 

As Omoge mentioned, who will fight for these helpless women. I am not familiar with the judicial system in Nigeris, but I can say atrocities as such cannot happen where I am from. Not in these days when 2 lbs of Marijuana is equivalent to a .22 .  On a more serious note though, we do not tolerate such travesty of justice on my islands.  Equal rights and justice seem to prevail.

Did anyone notice that Abacha did not go this far? I guess no man is 100% good/evil. You can easily tell from the pictures most of these women are either going to work, coming home from work or simply stepping out of their homes to run a little family errand (Buy Akara for junior). It gets worse everyday. In a normal country, these morons will get their pants sued off by these women.

grafikdon:

. In a normal country, these slowpoke will get their pants sued off by these women.

Exactly my sentiments,

this is shameful!!! can anybody point an indecent dressing in that photo??¿¿¿ if that new governor is going to work like this then he's an unexposed illiterate blinded by Nigeria style religion, SHAME ON THEM !!!!!!

the fashola of an idiot is a lawyer and even a senior advocate for that matter,

before we start blaming Fashola. . . under whose instruction are the police operating? is it the Guvnors directive or just a whim of the Commissioner?

you wouldn't blame Fashola for 20 naira collection at checkpoints, so I would exercise caution in blaming this on him

I suspect this is just police opportunism to make a quick buck and to sexually assault our women. It should be condemned and stopped immediately!

debosky:

before we start blaming Fashola. . . under whose instruction are the police operating? is it the Guvnors directive or just a whim of the Commissioner?

you wouldn't blame Fashola for 20 naira collection at checkpoints, so I would exercise caution in blaming this on him

I suspect this is just police opportunism to make a quick buck and to sexually assault our women. It should be condemned and stopped immediately!

please the governor is in charge of Lagos state and not police commissioner

It was Fashola that must have approved it.

Shebi when judge sentenced a man to floging somewhere in the South West, most of you supported it. You all still don't understand the system of imposing CRAZY laws.

grafikdon:

In a normal country, these morons will get their pants sued off by these women.

Nigeria is not a "normal" country.

Well there is no other person to blame but the governor cos he is CSO of the state, but pls can i know the name of the present commissioner of police, ?Yes he is a northerner. Another point i will like to add is that recently the president made lagos his holiday resort or wotever, correct me if i am wrong but the presidents state in which he was a governor (katsina) is a sharia state. Does it not ocurr to anyone that this could be coming from the president considering the fact that the police is a federal entity and not controlled by the state? Does anyone actually think that the Governor will be focusing on skimpily dressed ladies? And besides does anyone know that most criminals in lagos are actually found in brothels or beer parlours enjoyng their loot? I cant read the governors mind but as far as i am concerned after the first year of the governors tenure we might be able to sense the direction in which he (fashola) is headed. The governor has very limited control over the police. When Tinubu was about to leave can anyone say how many times the CP of Lagos was changed? Tinubus police aides were also recalled prior to the elections. We should look at things more critically than to start throwing blames all over the place.

Welcome to the Islamic republic of Nigeria.

romeo:

please the governor is in charge of Lagos state and not police commissioner

so if police are collecting 20 naira at the checkpoints then Fashola must have approved it?

it seems you don't understand the workings and structure of the [i]Federally Controlled [/i]Nigeria Police Force

If Fashola approved it, I would've expected some kind of official announcement, which we have not heard of. The police carry out many illegalities that are not pre-approved by the state govt.

Now if you said Fashola on hearing about this should call the Police Commissioner to order, then I would agree with you.

debosky:

so if police are collecting 20 naira at the checkpoints then Fashola must have approved it?

it seems you don't understand the workings and structure of the [i]Federally Controlled [/i]Nigeria Police Force

If Fashola approved it, I would've expected some kind of official announcement, which we have not heard of. The police carry out many illegalities that are not pre-approved by the state govt.

Now if you said Fashola on hearing about this should call the Police Commissioner to order, then I would agree with you.

And about calling the police to order!! for the fact that he has not done it up till now shows that he's in full support of it

@femionasan
you have a point there about the holiday thing for mr presido

OMG that is disgraceful. nigeria disgraces me when i hear stuff like this. lol
since when did women become criminals for the way they dress?


more women need to join the nigerian police force. lol
but seriously though, more women need to infiltrate the system and positions in those high places that pushed this ridiculously sexist suff.

since when did sharia arrive in lagos?

is there anyone at all who have said something on behalf of these ladies in the govt?

these women don't even look 'scantily dressed."
for a burning hot country (weather wise) like Nigeria, most of these women are FULLY dressed imo. what are they supposed to be wearing suits?

debosky:


I suspect this is just police opportunism to make a quick buck and to sexually assault our women. It should be condemned and stopped immediately!

i was thinking this too.

The Police commissioner in Lagos state do not take instructions from Fashola so fashola cannot issue such instructions.

While I am against the arrests of some innocent ones in this issue I must state that the way some women dress these days is very very bad. It seems the only thing that they have decided not to showcase is the nipple as over 3/4 of the breasts are sometimes gladly fed to peoples eyes everyday.

Based on decency, everything should be done to correct this, but based on religion, NO as that may amount to forcing everyone to abide by a particular religion.

There is more to this than dressing decent oh, some ladies where arrested for putting on trousers while some guys were arrested for braiding their hair.

Now is there anything indecent about that, I honestly think I dont want to live in a country where some Government official sits in his office to pontificate on what my wife should or should not wear.

This is one of those times one can not help but immagine how hopeless this country is.

McKren:

There is more to this than dressing decent oh, some ladies where arrested for putting on trousers while some guys were arrested for braiding their hair.

Now is there anything indecent about that, I honestly think I don't want to live in a country where some Government official sits in his office to pontificate on what my wife should or should not wear.

It is wrong for a woman to be arrested for wearing trousers (assuming that is the reason for arresting them).

But I disagree with you that the government does not have a say as regards what your wife wears especially when she is outside the house.

McKren:

This is one of those times one can not help but immagine how hopeless this country is.

Nigeria is not hopeless, a Brazilian was killed in cold blood in London for not being too white. Does that make Britain useless?

Abeg, stick to the problems and mistakes but don't tell us that Nigeria is useless.

Afam

I honestly don't know why you think it is wrong for Government to arrest ladies who put on trousers when you approve of Government having dresscodes for the citizens.
A country like Nigeria with complex demographics can only work if it appreciates its secular nature, what is an acceptable kind of dressing in my culture is unacceptable in others. I do understand that but people must respect the constitution which gives me the right to practise my own culture. People should not use their office to impose dresscodes that conform to their religion on others.


Besides that I did not say Nigeria is useless, I said events like this make you think it is hopeless. I do not regret saying it.
May be you might like to check the dictionary definition of hopelessness

not able to learn or act, perform, or work as desired; inadequate for the purpose: As a bridge player, you're hopeless.

So tell me why a country where its secular status as provided in constitution is not respected, a country where a Police officer decides to disrespect the fundamental human rights of her citizens as provided in the constitution but chooses to uphold his personal culture or religion, a country where some States practice State Religion against the provisions of the constitution, a country where when power moves North it begins to lean towards the Middles East or Arab league but when power moves south it leans towards democracy (no common focus),  etc. can not qualify as a hopeless country.

Nigeria will not work as much as we continue to celebrate its defects in our quest to sound politically correct.

@Mckren,

I still believe that Nigeria is not hopeless regardless of the short comings in some quarters.

The freedom of dressing does not exist anywhere in the world. Can you choose to go to work stark naked just because you think its your fundamental human right to do what pleases you?

Women that show all but their private parts should be taken off the streets lest they mislead a lot of young ones and even some old ones that are not interested in seeing what's being advertised.

I like women, I like fashion, I don't like women forcing me to see their breasts and I don't like seeing the top half of their butts just because they feel it is cool for them to wear jeans that show them. It is just not right.

Power is nothing without control so is freedom nothing without checks and balances.

There's nothing wrong with the dressing of the women in those pictures.

Look at the picture above, is anybody Stark Naked?

Even in Carlifornia if you go out stark naked you will be arrested and your head examined to ensure if you are sane.

If there is anything those ladies are not doing in their dressing, it is not tieing Hijab.

I have seen many Prostitudes but have never seen

anyone on wrapper. Have you?

Why shifting the goal post here?

If I am against the arrest of someone for putting on trousers why will I support the arrest of someone tying wrapper?

I have been specific as regards the very provocative and sometimes repulsive way some women dress these days all in the name of fashion.

So why should someone be arrested in Carlifornia for going out stark naked? Abi freedom of expression no reach that side?

I still maintain that the government has a role to play in the area of maintaining sanity in the way some women dress of they cannot get proper training and/or orientation from their homes.

What I am opposed to is the idea of basing this on religion as that would amount to forcing people to follow a particular religion.

As regards the picture above, I am sure the number of people there are not up to 90 neither can the police tell us that these were the people that were not properly dressed.