Nigerian university sparks outrage as staff check whether female students are wearing bras before exams

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - ABUJA — A Nigerian university is facing backlash after a viral video appeared to show young women who were queuing for exams being checked for whether they were wearing bras before being allowed in.

In a short clip that spread quickly on social media, two women seem to be touching the breasts of the women in the queue as they walk past. Students at Olabisi Onabanjo University confirmed to CNN that the video was shot at their school, in Nigeria’s southwestern Ogun state.

In the video, one female student appeared to be removed from the queue after one of the women touched her.

CNN has not been able to confirm when the video was taken but a student representative at OOU, who defended the school over what he dubbed the “no bra, no entry policy,” said exams began this week.

The university has not responded to CNN’s request for comment and has not commented publicly on the alleged policy amid widespread outrage on Nigerian social media.

Student union leader Muizz Olanrewaju Olatunji said in a post on X Tuesday that the check for bras “is not a new policy” in the school, which he stated, “promotes a dress code policy aimed at maintaining a respectful and distraction-free environment, encouraging students to dress modestly and in line with the institution’s values.”

Olatunji shared parts of what he said were the school’s policies, which described indecent dressing as that which shows sensitive body parts “such as breasts, buttocks, nipples and belly-buttons,” including “any dressing that is capable of making the same or opposite sex to lust after the student in an indecent manner.”

Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong described the OOU’s bra policy as “draconian” and “arbitrary,” and one that “might amount to some form of sexual harassment.”

He told CNN that “physically examining the bodies of students to determine whether they are wearing a bra or not is not only degrading but also undignifying.”

“There could be medical explanations for why certain students may not feel comfortable wearing a bra at a particular time,” he said, adding that enforcing the policy “without exceptions, or without taking peculiarities into consideration is arbitrary,” and could lead to legal actions.

Student leader Olatunji said in another post on X Tuesday that talks were ongoing with OOU’s administration “to explore alternative approaches to addressing indecent dressing, focusing on respectful and dignified interactions between students and staff.” — CNN