Outrage Over Bra-Checks on Female Students at Nigerian University

A Nigerian university is facing a wave of public criticism after footage surfaced online showing female students being physically checked to confirm whether they were wearing bras before being let into an examination hall. The video, filmed at Olabisi Onabanjo University in Ogun State, southwest Nigeria, captures female staff members touching students' chests as they lined up to write their exams. The clip quickly spread across social media, sparking widespread condemnation. As of the time of reporting, the university had not issued an official statement addressing the incident. However, the President of the Students' Union, Muizz Olatunji, spoke publicly in defence of the underlying policy, describing it as part of the school's long-standing dress code intended to encourage modesty and preserve what he called a "distraction-free environment." He did, however, concede that the method used needed to change, acknowledging the need for more respectful ways to enforce the rule. The incident has drawn sharp rebuke from human rights advocates. Haruna Ayagi, a senior official with the Human Rights Network, told the BBC that the practice crossed a legal line. "Unwarranted touches on another person's body is a violation and could lead to legal action. The university is wrong to adopt this method to curb indecent dressing," he said. One student, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the university enforces a notably strict moral code around appearance, despite having no religious affiliation, adding that students are frequently scrutinised over how they dress. Responding to the backlash on social media platform X, Olatunji maintained that the dress code itself was not new and was never meant to humiliate students. He said the students' union had been engaging the university administration to find alternatives that were "respectful and dignified." He also shared the wording of the dress code, which bars clothing "capable of making the same or opposite sex to lust after the student in an indecent manner." Olabisi Onabanjo University was established in 1982 as Ogun State University under the administration of then-Governor Olabisi Onabanjo, and was renamed in his honour in 2001.