Lawyer Disrupts Supreme Court Sitting, Appears In River Goddess Traditional Attire In Court

By Gideon Njoku

A drama of the absurd played out Thursday, June 23, at the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

A Lagos based Lawyer, Malcolm Omoirhobo appeared in Court  proceedings at the Supreme  Court, in a full traditional regalia. Bare-footed, and with his left eye painted with native chalk around it, he wore “Olokun”, the regalia of the Goddess of the river, in Court. He tied a red wrapper, and had two feathers on his professional head rest.

Everybody was stunned. The Court was forced to go on recess to reconstitute. At the time he entered, the Justices were on recess. When they came back, they met him sitting in the Court, and were forced to go on recess again. He did not talk to the Justices, and they did not talk to him. They managed to hear a case which they struck out, and went on recess.

Barr. Malcolm was apparently reacting to the recent Supreme Court ruling  which allowed Muslim female students to wear Hijab to school.

In an interview with Reporters, he said he broke no law, and was only exercising his fundamental human rights based on the ruling of the Supreme Court on Hijab.  Asked if he was not afraid that Security Agents could arrest him, he asked: “For what?” Quoting the Constitution, he said he broke no law, and for good measure, added that even Buhari cannot arrest him. The chalk around his left eye, he explained, is to see spirits, and Ward them off.

And he was bare-footed so that the Goddess will not kill him for breaking its law.

Said an interested onlooker: “The import of the Hijab judgment is that Lawyers can dress in their traditional or religious apparels to Courts. Chief Malcolm is a traditionalist and he decided to appear on Delta traditional attire at the Supreme Court today. It was their judgement.”