Smoking hot.

I have been so busy this month and haven’t been able to write anything, but an article I just read on the BBC and some Nigerian newspapers has so infuriated me that I have to unburden my mind of the anger I feel lest I explode in a ball of hot smoking flames.

So what is it that has me fuming and cursing the entity called the Nigerian Police that has not only brought so much shame to the country but also exhibited the highest level of ineptitude, corruption and mismanagement in all the ailing public enterprises in Nigeria (My opinion). Recently, the new police boss in Lagos state directed his men to arrest all women (and men!!) dressed indecently or clad in skimpy outfits. In my opinion, this was a very ambiguous directive and knowing the zeal with which the policemen in Nigeria enforce such “no boundary” laws, I knew it would only be a matter of time before things go awry as usual.

Yesterday, about 90 girls (I wonder why there were no guys, or let’s watch) were arrested for indecent dressing and arraigned before a magistrate court in Lagos, Nigeria. There are several things wrong with this development. First of all, what is the definition of “indecent dressing”? Nigeria is not an Islamic state where women are require to cover themselves in its entirety, so who/how do they measure the level of indecent dressing. With my knowledge of the Nigerian police, I won’t be surprised that they picked up random women from the streets, and those that could bribe them immediately were allowed to go while those that could pay the prerequisite fees were held on to and arraigned before a judge.

Of all the duties to perform by the police, it’s enforcing decent dressing, on the premise that it could lead to “breakdown of peace”, how? I do need someone to let me know how women who are not properly dressed according to the definition of an individual would cause a breach in security or lead to a breakdown of law and order. There is so much crime to combat in Lagos and the police men in Nigeria are busy chasing after indecently dressed women…..Is Nigeria moving forward or backward….I won’t be surprised if these policemen go back to arresting people for wandering like they did several years ago.

The most annoying of the entire drama is that the magistrate that I would have expected to throw away such a ridiculous charge and reprimand the police for wasting tax payers moneys, granted these young girls bail with the sum of N20, 000 and a surety with a like sum, and according to the newspapers, most of these girls couldn’t afford it and are being sent to prison to reappear on the 24th of August!!! Almost a month in prison…for what…indecent dressing…what is the definition of indecent….is the country becoming an Islamic state or what….I hope this is not a prelude to what is about to come, I really hope not….probably, you’d understand why I’m really very upset….and this is happening in Lagos, the supposed nerve center of Nigeria and prominent city in Africa. I think it’s a big shame on the country, the Lagos state government, its police commissioner and his men.

Granted some these women may be prostitutes which is illegal in Nigeria since the police alleged that some of them were arrested at brothels, joints, etc, but I’m very sure that quite a lot of them are also innocent, and the overzealous Nigerian police were up to their usual tricks in arresting them. The newspapers reported that although some of the women were dressed provocatively, others were properly dressed. How did they all end up charged to court with indecent dressing, which according to the police could lead to a breach in security (alright, I would understand if they prevented the policemen in focusing their attention on fighting crime). Why did the magistrate judge not quash the entire case/drama/comedy and throw out the case into the sewers where it belongs, never to be brought up again?

Ummh…alright I’m done…I’m relieved... Let me go think, perhaps I’d understand this jig-saw.