MAIDUGURI HOSPITALS HARASSING MUSLIM WOMEN – MURIC

9^th October, 2025

PRESS RELEASE:

MAIDUGURI HOSPITALS HARASSING MUSLIM WOMEN – MURIC   

Three government hospitals in Maiduguri, Borno State, have been accused of harassing Muslim women who wear Islamic garments. Those fingered are Maiduguri General Hospital, Umar Shehu Hospital and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

A civil liberties group which spoke under the aegis of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), levelled the allegation in a statement titled ‘Maiduguri Hospitals Harassing Muslim Women – MURIC’. The press release which was signed by the group’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, was circulated among newsmen on Thursday, 9^th October, 2025.

It reads:

“Three government hospitals in Maiduguri, Borno State, have been fingered in incidents of serial harassment of Muslim women who wear Islamic garments. Those fingered in the allegation are Maiduguri General Hospital, Umar Shehu Hospital and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

“Hiding under the prevailing atmosphere of insecurity in the state, the security details at the gates of the three hospitals are in the habit of ordering Muslim women who wear niqab (Islamic veil) to remove them completely as they approach the gates until they enter the hospitals’ premises.

“MURIC finds this absolutely unnecessary, superfluously stereotyping and premeditatedly subjective. It is totally unacceptable under any circumstances whatsoever. It is an abridgement of Allah-given fundamental human rights of our women.

“We will not compromise in the matter of the dignity of Muslim women. The right to the dignity of the human person is entrenched in Section 34(b)&(c) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended (2011).

“It says inter alia ‘Every individual is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person, and accordingly…(b) no person shall be held in slavery or servitude and (c) no person shall be required to perform forced or compulsory labour.

“Also, Article 4, Clause 1 & 2 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights says, ‘Human beings are inviolable. Every human being shall be entitled to respect for his life and the integrity of his person.’

“There is no doubt that asking Muslim women to totally remove their head covers in public is tantamount to de-robing them, stripping them, humiliating them and depriving them of their human dignity contrary to the aforementioned local and international laws.

“What the three hospitals mentioned above do to Muslim women in Maiduguri is therefore illegal, illegitimate, unlawful and unconstitutional. We therefore demand that the authorities of those hospitals put a stop to this archaic practice.

“As usual in our pragmatic interventions, we will not fail to acknowledge the porous situation in which official duties are being carried out in Borno State. But this does not extenuate the human rights abuses to which these Muslim women are being subjected daily.

“It is grossly unnerving, highly provocative and exceedingly nauseating to watch our women being derobed at hospital gates on a daily basis. Their hair remain exposed from outside the gates until they are inside. This does not promote religious tolerance and understanding because Islam forbids the exposure of the hair of Muslim women.

“The Quran provides guidance on modest dress for women in chapter 24 verse 31 (Surat al-Nuur) and chapter 33 verse 59 (Surat al-Ahzaab) by instructing them to lower their gaze, guard their chastity, and to draw their head-coverings (khumur) over their bosoms.

“It is therefore sacriledgious for anyone for any reason at all to compel Muslim women to uncover their heads in public. It is an act of religious oppression which no Muslim community will stomach. It is humiliating, degrading and denigrating. Muslims hold the chastity and dignity of their women in very high esteem.

“Our findings reveal that the Muslim women are not searched at the hospital gate at all. They are only told to remove their head covers and go straight inside the premises. This defeats the purpose if, indeed, the removal of their niqab is for security reasons. But nay, it is to humiliate them.

“The way out is to allow female security staff to screen Muslim women who wear Islamic garments. This is safe enough and theologically acceptable because fellow women are free to see the bare heads of Muslim women. A special spot can be created near the gate where such Muslim women can be directed to meet female security staff for screening and clearing.

“Failure to stop this malicious, obnoxious and abominable practice of harassing Muslim women will be interpreted as engaging in deliberate gender discrimination, female stigmatization and religious profiling.

“This systemic intimidation may have constituted an obstacle in the efforts of the state government to secure the full cooperation of the civilian population in the state.  They are mainly Muslims and they cannot be happy seeing their wives, their mothers, daughters and sisters being stripped ‘naked’ everyday at hospital gates.

“Also, many Muslim women who use niqab may have kept away from the hospital completely even when they have health challenges. Some may also stay away even if their loved ones are on admission in any of the three hospitals. This is a disturbing phenomenon.

“We appeal to the state governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, to investigate and intervene in this matter before it is too late.”

#GovernorBabaganaZulum

#MaiduguriHospitals

#StopHumiliatingMuslimWomen

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Founder/Executive Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).