Hijab Verdict: Lawyer Reverts To Wig, Gown

Forty-eight hours after he appeared at the Federal High Court in Lagos in his traditional religious attire, controversial Lagos lawyer, Chief Malcolm Omirhobo yesterday reverted to a normal barrister’s dress code.

Omirhobo had on Monday appeared before Justice Tijjani Ringim bare-footed, with a red wrapper atop his black trouser, a gourd tied around his neck with a red piece of cloth and a feather to his wig.

He had told the judge that he is a traditional Olokun worshiper and that he was only taking advantage of the Supreme Court’s judgement that ruled in favour of Muslim students wearing the hijab in Lagos schools.

But a visibly surprised Justice Ringim refused to hear him, ordering him instead to address the court on October 10 on whether the law and legal practice permit him to appear that way in court.

But Omirhobo was sighted in court on Wednesday dressed in his normal legal garb and upon enquiries by journalists and others, he claimed that that was the way the spirit directed him to appear in court yesterday.

The lawyer said, “the spirit” asked him to ” go normal”, adding that he would revert to his religious garb again if it so directed.

“I’m led by the spirit to go normal today. Don’t be surprised if you see me the other way tomorrow…so, today is normal.”

When asked if “the spirit” conformed with the ethics of the legal profession and dress code, the lawyer laughed.

He said, “What ethics are you talking about? Are you insulting my religion? Don’t try it, don’t insult my religion…the constitution according to the Supreme Court says I should dress according to my religious attire and you are insulting the Supreme Court, behave yourself.

“And for those who have got cause against me, please come to my shrine,” Omirhobo stated.

In a similar development, another lawyer, Dennis Ezekiel, appeared at the Federal High Court in Lagos wearing a rosary on his barrister’s attire. He said he was exercising his right to religious freedom following the hijab ruling.

Ezekiel said, “My name is Dennis Ezekiel. I’m a Christian, a Catholic and I’m professing my religion by appearing like this in court. It is my right, enshrined in Section 38 of the Constitution and laid down, enunciated by the Supreme Court (in its) judgment (on hijab). So, we have that constitutional right to profess our religion without hindrance.”

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Body of Bencher (BOB) and the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) have not made any public comments on the issue or responded to enquiries on the controversial matter.