The Anambra State Government has denied announcements in communities that it plans to arrest ladies who move about without pants and bras.
There has been unrest in communities in Anambra State since the enactment of a new law, the Anambra Homeland Security Law, which criminalizes native doctors who perform wealth rituals for youths or provide protective charms for criminals.
The law also seeks to identify non-indigenes living in every community and mandates landlords to know their neighbors.
Communities in Anambra, using the services of town criers, have been announcing the abolition of activities of fake native doctors, registration for genuine ones, and also for non-indigenes in various communities.
But in what seemed like a new twist, Abagana community in Njikoka Local Government Area, while making such announcements, added that besides arresting native doctors, it would also arrest ladies who move around the community without pants and bras.
The announcement has been a butt of jokes on social media, but the state government has said that it has more important issues to deal with than going after women who are not wearing underwear.
In a press release by the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on New Media, Mazi Ejimofor Opara, he said: “The trending announcement by the town crier in Abagana, Njikoka LGA, wherein the announcer stated that ladies who move about without underwear (bra and pants) would be arrested, is neither from the State government nor Agunechemba Security Outfit.
“Such trivial matters do not have any legal support and cannot be the focus of the State government or its law enforcement agencies at this time it is focused on ridding the State of every form of criminality. While this is not to encourage indecent dressing in our communities, it is important to make this clarification so as not to derail the focus of our law enforcement under any pretext.
“Kindly disregard any such distracting announcement and remember to continue supporting the Security Agencies with credible information on criminals around our communities — if you see something, say something!”
