Drama as lawyer attends Supreme Court proceeding in traditional worshippers’ regalia
Human rights and constitutional lawyer, Chief Malcolm Omirhobo, on Thursday storms the Supreme Court dressed in Olokun (river goddess) robes aftermath of the apex court’s ruling that Muslim students can wear Hijab to schools in Lagos State.
The Delta State born activist, who said he is an Olokun worshipper, had a circle of white around his right eye with feathers attached to his wigs.
He also had a red wrapper tied around his waist, with some amulets hanging from his neck and no shoes on.
It was gathered that his mode of dressing caused stirs as Supreme Court judges were uncomfortable and had to rise and embarked on recess.
In an interview few minutes later, Chief Omirhobo stated that since the Supreme Court ruled last week that students could wear Hijab to school in Lagos, the court has given every religion a right to dress the way the believers wish to dress and that he has decided to dress like a traditionalist from now on.
He said: “Yes. This is how I would be coming (to court). By the Supreme Court judgement, we have been given license to dress in our religious attire. It would be an infringement or fragrant violation of my fundamental right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion for anybody to stop me. So, I went into the Supreme Court and we’ve been given the license. Even my children will be dressing like this to school.
“I would encourage my fellow traditionalist, those who are serving Olokun, Sango and Sonponna, god of thunder, god of iron, to dress like this because it’s always good to be religious. We need to be close to the spirit. You can see I’m not wearing any shoe. Ifa has told me that if I wear shoe, I would be dead. What would I do? I have to obey the spirit. You see this eye; without it I can’t see the evil spirit coming to attack me. With this, I can see them.
“With the Supreme Court judgement of Friday, we’ve been given the right to dress in our religious outfit because it’s the mode of our worship.
Asked whether he could not be arrested by security agencies, Omirhobo said: “Nobody can do it. Even President Buhari can’t arrest me. My own fundamental right? Nobody can”.
Asked whether he would be able to stand before judges to argue his matter since the dress is alien to the law profession, he said: “It is my outfit. I would be standing in front of judges to argue my matter. It is my outfit. I can stand anywhere. What is alien?
