Ilorin and the War Against Human Rights -By Olayinka Abdurrazzaq

Human rights are gifts from the Creator to humankind. What the Nigerian Constitution does is simply to recognize and protect them from abuse by authorities: parents, teachers or other persons as it is settled in our law.

Everybody in Nigeria, whether poor or rich, young or old, man or woman, sick or healthy, is entitled to human rights as provided by the constitution which is sancrosant. The most important of all rights of man are the right to life, right to dignity of human person, and right to personal liberty. In fact, the right to freedom of religion is not left out.

Section 34(1) of the constitution provides for the right to dignity of human person, this right basically protects every person from being tortured or being subjected to other forms of human treatment or to inhuman or degrading treatment.

It is also settled in our law as gari settles in water that every person shall be entiltled to his personal liberty and no person shall be deprived of such a liberty. Save few which are itemised in the section 35 of the constitution.

Also pursuant to section 38 of the constitution which provides for the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, this right recognises the entitlement of each person to hold opinions and also to believe in any religion or not to believe at all.

All the aforementioned rights that are sancrosant for Madinah and Basheerah as Nigerians, have been infridged upon and serious injured by the parents of the duo sisters. The sisters have been seriously tortured and maltreated for months by their parents to an unbearable extent.

It is disheartening and heart touching that these sisters are getting this impunity to their liberty and dignity, not because of any offence recognized under our law, but because of the belief of the sisters in using hijab as a commandment of God. It is amazing that in this Ilorin metropolis, the city that do acclaim to herself to be a pace setter for other state or town in understanding of religion, people witness unhear issue without a serious step taken by our religious leaders. Meanwhile, these sisterd are dying of torture and maltreatment.

The city of knowledge and scholars cries of injustice. The city of religion is where the issue of hijab has subjected some sisters to inhuman treatment. Whereby they are turtured to the extent of being getting sexually harrassed  and bodily assault in other to prevent them from using hijab. So sad.

The Police heard about the issue but did not take a serious step at onset. This is an imploration to the both police and our Islamic scholars in Ilorin to spring up quickly to save the dignity of Islam. They must make sure that justice is done and achieved for the Madinah and Basheerah. The pertrators must be brought to book and face the wrath law. Ilorin, the dignity of this ancient city must be protected and its glory in the religion must not be found wanting. Madinatul ‘Ilim!

Law is respecter of nobody. Either parents or not parent, protection of human rights of every person is compulsory on you. Whenever a person’s right is violated, irrespective of who commits the violation, the victim can approach the court for redress.

Without fear of repetition, I stress that human rights are fundamental to our nature, without them we cannot live as human being. To deny human beings their rights is to prepare the stage for political and social unrest–uprising, civil revolts, hostility and even wars between nations and between groups within a nation. Prof. M.A. Ajomo had said

We demand Justice for Madinah and Basheerah, justice for the nation and justice for the Ilorin Metropolis.

God bless Nigeria, God bless Kwara and God bless Ilorin.