It was an unusual sight yesterday at the Supreme Court in Abuja as a lawyer, Malcolm Omirhobo dressed like a god of rivers to the court.
Justices, who came into the courtroom to begin the day’s proceedings, ended it abruptly out of shock.
Omirhobo sat on the front row without shoes. He tied a red wrapper on top of his black trousers that were rolled up to his knees. He also had a gourd tied around his neck with a red piece of cloth. There was also a feather attached to his wig and he encircled one of his eyes with a whitish substance.
However, he had a mission – he did all that to draw attention to the verdict of the apex court that allows pupils and students to appear in hijab in public schools.
The Justices, who came into the courtroom for the day’s business about five minutes after Omirhobo’s arrival, felt uncomfortable with the lawyer’s attire.
The Presiding Justice John Okoro promptly suspended proceedings after Omirhobo ignored entreaties by security officials to vacate the courtroom.
Explaining his action, Omirhobo said: “I am very grateful to the Supreme Court. Just last Friday it made a very resounding decision that promotes Section 38 of the Constitution, that is, our right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; that we are free to express our way of worship in our schools and our courts.
“That decision was reached on Friday and that has encouraged me because I am a traditionalist and this is the way I worship.
“Based on the decision of the Supreme Court, this is how I will be dressing henceforth in court, because I am a strong adherent of ‘Olokun’ – the god of rivers.”
