The Hijab Rights Advocacy Initiative has condemned in the strongest terms the recent violent attacks on two Muslim women wearing the hijab and niqab in Ibadan and Lagos.
It described the incidents as grave violations of religious freedom, human dignity, and constitutional rights.
In a statement released by the organisation, its Executive Director, Barrister Hajiya Mutiat Orolu-Balogun, described the assaults as “discriminatory hate crimes” that reflect a growing pattern of religious intolerance against visibly Muslim women.
One of the incidents occurred in Ibadan, where a pregnant woman donning the hijab and niqab was publicly harassed, physically assaulted, and her veil forcibly removed in a market setting, an act witnesses described as both humiliating and dehumanising.
In a more recent case on May 17 in Ijora, Lagos, a 40-year-old niqabi woman with asthma was allegedly accosted by a man identified as a Naval officer, who demanded she unveil to “prove” she was female.
When the victim respectfully offered to lift her veil for another woman, she was reportedly attacked by the officer, a woman summoned from a nearby beer parlour, and several others.
Her hijab and niqab were stripped off in the scuffle, and she was left severely beaten until a passerby intervened.
The matter was reported to the Ijora Police Division, where one of the suspects has since been charged to court and remanded at Kirikiri Correctional Facility.
However, the Naval officer, known only as Akin, is currently at large after being granted bail to a senior official, raising concerns over accountability and transparency.
“This is not merely about clothing. It’s about a woman’s right to live freely, safely, and in accordance with her faith,” said Orolu-Balogun.
“Such acts of violence are an assault on every woman’s right to religious expression and must not be tolerated. If these attacks are left unpunished, we risk normalising a dangerous culture of impunity and intolerance,” she added.
She called on security agencies and relevant authorities to ensure that all perpetrators were brought to justice and that efforts to shield suspects from prosecution are immediately addressed.
She also urged the public to assist by providing credible information about the fugitive officer.
Shereefat Enessi, Secretary of the organisation, added: “These women were not committing any crime. They were simply walking in modesty and faith. To leave their attackers unpunished would be to sanction discrimination and violence under the guise of security or suspicion.”
The group reiterated its demands for justice, safety, and respect for every woman’s right to religious identity, asserting: “The niqab is not a threat. The niqab is not a crime. The niqab is her right.”
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