There is a sickness among Nigerians. No matter how we pretend to be religious or claim to respect the dignity of the human person, something deeply primitive still governs us. What I have observed in recent years is not just disturbing — it is an eyesore to any conscience that is still alive.
So let me be blunt. If you do not want to feel uncomfortable, scroll past. I will not dilute my words to protect fragile feelings.
The Normalization of Public Stripping in Nigeria
When I hear Nigerians talk about the purity of heart, modest dressing, or women being “decent,” you would think we are angels. Yet I have seen crowds celebrate men who harass young women because they judge their clothes to be “unfit.” And when a woman breaks the law, our moral energy suddenly explodes — not in justice, but in humiliation.
Every time someone — especially a woman — steals or commits an offence, we strip her naked and parade her. As if nakedness has now become a legal sentence written somewhere in our constitution.
When Mob Justice Becomes Sexual Violence
I saw a video of a woman paraded stark naked in Orba market for allegedly stealing N60,000 — less than 60 Canadian dollars. And what did we do? We turned it into a public spectacle.
Shame on the women who stood there shouting and celebrating while your fellow woman was exposed. Shame on the young people who made it entertainment, going live as if humiliation is content.
The Hypocrisy of Moral Policing
Yes, she stole. And so? Since when did stripping a woman naked become the punishment for theft? What I saw was not justice. It was perversion disguised as moral enforcement.
Especially my own Igbo people — we need to look in the mirror. We boast of culture and dignity, yet we have failed to discipline ourselves. Some of the men leading these acts are not defending morality; they are indulging their impulses and hiding behind culture to do it.
And to the mothers who watch and say nothing — silence in moments like this is complicity.
Silence from Religious and Community Leaders
As for our priests and pastors, what exactly are we preaching? If such things happen in your parish, your town, your street, and you remain silent, do not speak to us about righteousness.
Politicians steal billions, and we celebrate them. But let a woman commit a petty offence — or simply offend our fragile egos — and we strip her naked and feast on her shame, pretending we are deterring crime.
Shame on all of us — Nsukka people, Igbo people, Nigerians. We close our eyes to those who oppress us at the top, yet we open them wide to consume the nakedness of the poor among us.
If this offends you, sit with it. It should.
