The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) has accused the Nigerian police of allegedly removing Hijabs from Muslim women in detention, describing it a “grave religious abuse.”
The sect was reacting to an alleged video taken within the premises of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, Abuja. The video was said to have been shared in a WhatsApp group of the police community in the FCT which later went viral on social media showing how the police forcefully removed the Hijab of Muslim sisters, while in police detention.
The police had arrested some members of the group during the 2024 Abuja Arba’een Symbolic Trek.
IMN in another round of protest urged the police authorities to respect people’s religion and culture.“Such an act is termed as a disregard for Islamic Values and an attack on Islam itself,” a member of IMN told Newsmen.“This action could be attributed to the fact that the majority of Policemen in Nigeria are not Muslims, Coupled with hate of Islam, the police forcefully removed the Hijab of many Muslims in public and subjected them to molestation.
“This act can never be tolerated in any way. Remember that on Sunday the 25th of August 2024, Policemen in Abuja opened fire on a peaceful Ashura protest. Many were arrested.”
Earlier, the group in a statement by its media team said the alleged action by the police has deeply offended the Muslim community, describing the abuse of the hijab as “more painful than the shelling of live ammunition.”
The statement read, “Our attention has been drawn to a one-minute, twenty-one-second video taken by a police officer within the premises of the FCT Police Command and shared it in a WhatsApp group of the police community in the FCT Abuja, and later the video went viral on social media showing how the police forcefully removed the hijab of our Muslim sisters, while in police detention. The Muslim Sisters were arrested during the 2024 Abuja Arba’een Symbolic Trek.
“Our attention has also been drawn to pictures of people arrested during the 2024 Abuja Abra’een Symbolic Trek paraded by the police on 28 August 2024 to newsmen at SARS Abbatoir. The pictures taken by the newsmen also showed our Muslim sisters without Hijab.
“Hijab is a commandment of Allah, the creator of earth and heaven. Allah (T) says in the Qur’an, “O Prophet! Say to your wives, your daughters, and the women of the believers that they should let down upon themselves their jalabib.” (Qur’an: Surah Al-Ahzab, verse 59).
“Hijab is our religion, culture, and right, and the abuse of Hijab is more painful to us than the shelling of live ammunition on us. We will not take this abuse lightly. Certainly, an abuse to Hijab is not just an abuse to the people arrested but to the Muslims and the religion of Islam.”
