TheCable

People in their hundreds trooped out to the streets of Ilorin, Kwara state capital, on Monday to demand justice for Amasa Firdaus, a female law graduate who was not called to 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 “flagrant infringement” 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.

“Our gathering has to do with an injustice meted against one of ours, who was denied her fundamental human rights, because of the fact that she refused to pull off her hijab during the call to bar ceremony held at the International Conference Center, Abuja,” Nurudeen Ibrahim, spokesman of the protesters, said.

“As a result of this, it has become a global issue. Because what happened at ICC was a flagrant infringement human of that of ours.”

Badmus Yusuf, a professor and former dean of Postgraduate School, Unilorin, said “it was sad that the Nigerian Law School and Council for Legal Education who should act as custodians of law had turned to violators.”

“Firdaus’ rights were enshrined in the nation’s law book and therefore should not be denied by any convention,” he said.