Outrage as Nigerian University Enforces Bra Checks Before Exams

A viral video showing female students at Nigeria’s Olabisi Onabanjo University being physically checked to confirm they were wearing bras before sitting exams has sparked national outrage.

The footage, filmed at the university in Ogun State, captures female staff touching students’ chests as they lined up to enter an examination hall—an act widely condemned as invasive and humiliating.

While the university has not issued an official statement, the institution’s Students’ Union President, Muizz Olatunji, defended the policy, describing it as part of a long-standing dress code aimed at maintaining a “distraction-free environment.” However, he acknowledged that the method of enforcement was inappropriate and that alternative, respectful approaches were being discussed.

Critics have slammed the bra check as archaic, sexist, and tantamount to sexual assault.

“Unwarranted touches on another person’s body is a violation and could lead to legal action,” said Haruna Ayagi of the Human Rights Network. “The university is wrong to adopt this method to curb indecent dressing.”

A female student who requested anonymity told the BBC that dress codes at the university are strictly monitored, despite it not being a religious institution. “Our clothes are constantly checked,” she said.

The university’s dress code—shared online by the Students’ Union—bans attire deemed capable of causing “lust” in members of the same or opposite sex. The policy has been widely criticized on social media for promoting moral policing under the guise of modesty.

Founded in 1982 as Ogun State University and renamed in 2001 after then-Governor Olabisi Onabanjo, the institution now faces growing pressure from rights groups and students alike to review its approach to dress code enforcement.

Legal experts and civil society organizations have called for accountability, urging affected students to consider legal action. The incident has reignited national debates about bodily autonomy, gender rights, and the limits of institutional authority in Nigerian universities.