The Islamic Movement, also known as Shiites, has threatened to sue the Nigerian Police Force over alleged forceful removal of Muslim sisters’ hijab who were arrested in connection with the 2024 Arba’een Symbolic Trek in Abuja.
The Islamic group, in a statement in Abuja by Maryam Sani on behalf of the Sisters’ Forum of the Islamic Movement, under the leadership of his eminence Sayyid Ibraheem Ya’qoub El-Zakzaky (H), also said the alleged rights abuse would be publicised within and outside the country.
She condemned the act and considered it blasphemy against Islam.
“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,” Sani said.
She said the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and Benneth Igweh, FCT Police Commissioner, though might not be Muslims, they ought to have known how to respect people’s religion and culture.
“Verily, the leadership of the police is fully aware of the sanctity of Hijab to Muslims; they just decided to deliberately abuse our religion.
“First, we condemn the forceful removal of Muslim sisters’ Hijab and consider it an abuse to Muslims and blasphemy to Islam.
“We will publicise this abuse to the public (within and outside the country) and also challenge it in the court of law.
“Certainly, Kayode Egbetokun and Benneth Igweh have taken this matter to a serious level,” Sani said.
