In the fall of 2007, the government of
Lagos State
Lagos State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkó) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, states, it is both the List of Nigerian states by population, most populous and List of Nigerian state ...
under governor
Babatunde Fashola
Babatunde Raji Fashola ( yo, Bàbátúndé Rájí Fáṣọlá; born 28 June 1963) is a Nigerian lawyer and politician currently serving as the Federal Minister of Works and Housing of Nigeria. He served two terms as Governor of Lagos State f ...
initiated a police crackdown on public indecency in personal dress based upon the state's
dress code
A dress code is a set of rules, often written, with regard to what clothing groups of people must wear. Dress codes are created out of social perceptions and norms, and vary based on purpose, circumstances, and occasions. Different societies an ...
. It was carried out by state police commissioner
Mohammed Abubakar, and resulted in the arrests of at least 90 women and 3 men. Their cases in court were defended by the
Nigerian Bar Association
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is a non-profit, umbrella professional association of all lawyers admitted to the bar in Nigeria. It is engaged in the promotion and protection of human rights, the rule of law and good governance in Nigeria. T ...
(NBA) and officials of the
Rural Women Empowerment and Development Network (RWEDN), and the police institution was criticized for misplacement of priorities, violation of women's rights, and the violation of human rights to expression.
The police responded by stating that the crackdown was initiated to combat female prostitution in the state.
External links
A dressing down
2007 in Nigeria
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