A badly dressed young woman narrowly escaped being lynched at the Mararaba Garage in Nasarawa State late on Monday.
Eye-witnesses told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the scene of the incident that the lady who wore a short blouse on top of a pant was ``walking majestically around the ``okrika'' section of the garage," when a crowd descended on her in anger.
Mr Bernard Adeyi, Chairman of the Mararaba Branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, told NAN that he was in his office when he heard people shouting and charging at the lady.
``As the shouting continued, I looked out and I saw a girl strolling past opposite my office dressed half naked. All the things on her body that were supposed to be hidden were exposed. So both market women, men and everybody followed her as she walked around the garage.
``They were all shouting and booing her and it got to a point where some people in the park formed a ring around her, according to people at the garage, because I did not follow them there.
``Some people came back to say that the people were very angry with her obscene dressing and tore her pants and cloths completely, leaving her naked,'' Adeyi said.
Adeyi said that ``some guys at the scene who were disgusted with the development brought clothes and covered the woman as she ran away to save her life. She was virtually smuggled out of the park.
``The people, including market women and some elderly people were not happy to see a sane woman dressed in such a manner in public.
``In fact, I see the attack as a lesson for her and other ladies who are fond of going about half naked. We have a tradition and the kind of dressing that I saw today was completely outside our accepted mode of dressing ,'' the chairman said.
Adeyi also noted: that the lady ``a young girl of about 18 or 19 years'', had learnt a lesson of her life from the treatment given to her at the park. If girls who go about naked were present to witness what happened to the lady today, I think there would be no need for anybody to pass any further message to them and I believe the people who saw what happened to the lady would pass the message around,'' he stated.
Also reacting, Mr Oluchukwu Chukwuji, General Secretary and Public Relations Officer of the Mararaba Branch of the Luxury Bus Proprietors Association of Nigeria, told NAN: "when I came out this evening, I saw a crowd of people moving up and down the park.
``On inquiry, I was told that they saw a girl who wore only pant strolling around and people at the park, especially commercial motorcycle operators helped her to remove it completely.
``I understand they did so since she did not see any reason for covering the sensitive parts of her body as a woman.
``You know that kind of a thing, people would want to have a glimpse of such a scenario,'' Chukwuji said.
He said that the lady's friend quickly got a T-shirt and a trouser to cover her nakedness and then took her out of the garage.
``I strongly advise all these girls that go about naked to try and dress properly when they go outside. In fact, they should respect themselves. Even if they are harlots, they should not go naked in public but should do so in their brothels and not in public places like this," he advised.
Also, Malam Isah Kabiru, a trader at the park, told NAN that ``if not for prompt intervention of some well-meaning people at the park, the facilitator of her escape would have been lynched.
``The make-shift shop of the man would have been pulled down if reasonable people did not persuade them not to do so,'' Kabiru stated.
The head of the garage, known as Baba Nura, was not available in his office for comments on the matter as he was said to have gone out at the time of the incident.
Similarly, efforts to get the police in Mararaba to comment on the incident were not successful.
(NAN)
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