Residents of Ilorin, trooped out in large numbers to the streets of the Kwara state capital, on Monday to demand justice for Amasa Firdaus, a female law graduate who was not called to bar, for refusing to remove her hijab.
The protesters began their procession from Challenge junction to Ahmadu Bello Way, Umaru Audi Road, Tanke and ended at Tanke Oke-Odo.
Wielding various placards, they demanded that government and the authorities concerned should take action on what they described as โflagrant infringementโ on the fundamental human rights of the lady.
Some of the inscriptions on the placards read: ‘Save our soul from being Oppressed’, ‘Justice is Demanded for Firdaus’, ‘Mandela Challenged the Status Quo, Firdaus is Doing the Same’, and ‘Say No to Religious Persecution’, among others.
Speaking with newsmen, spokesman of the protesters, Nurudeen Ibrahim, said, โOur gathering has to do with an injustice meted against one of us, who was denied her fundamental human rights, because she refused to pull off her hijab during the call to bar ceremony held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
โAs a result of this, it has become a global issue because what happened at ICC was a flagrant infringement on the fundamental human right of one of our own.โ
A professor and former dean of Postgraduate School, University of Ilorin, Badmas Lanre Yusufย said, โIt was sad that the Nigerian Law School and Council for Legal Education who should act as custodians of law had turned to violators.โ
โFirdaus’ rights were enshrined in the nation’s law book and therefore should not be denied by any convention,โ he said.
