The Delta State chapter of the Take It Back (TIB) Movement has issued a blistering condemnation of the Delta State Police Command over its controversial policy targeting so-called “indecent dressing,” warning that it signals a dangerous slide into moral authoritarianism.
The Command recently announced that individuals found guilty of wearing revealing clothes would face a fine of ₦50,000 or be subjected to community service, citing Section 29 of the state’s domesticated Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law. This pronouncement, which was shared via the police’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle, has sparked widespread outrage.
In a fiery statement released on Sunday, TIB’s Deputy Coordinator, Comrade Nelson Ubi, decried the policy as “a war on fashion” and an appalling diversion from the real crises plaguing the state—rampant insecurity, kidnapping, drug abuse, and herdsmen violence.
> “At a time when fear grips the streets of Delta, when mothers bury children lost to Fulani herdsmen attacks and drug-related violence, the police have found a new enemy—clothing,” Ubi fumed.
The public notice, posted in Nigerian Pidgin, warned residents against exposing their bodies in public, claiming that the VAPP law now criminalizes such dressing. The message read in part:
> “As you no like wear cloth wey dey cover your body well… make you hear am – Delta State government nor dey smile for that kain dressing. VAPP law don ready to punish anybody wey no dress well. Punishment: community service or ₦50,000 fine.”
The TIB, however, sees the move as a deliberate attempt to distract from the state’s failure to protect lives and uphold justice. The group described the directive as “a political smokescreen, a tool of repression, and a gross misplacement of priorities.”
> “This isn’t about decency; it’s about control. When governments or security agencies abandon their constitutional duty to protect citizens and instead begin to police skirts and shirts, what they’re declaring is a war—not on crime—but on civil liberties,” the statement read.
TIB warned that this could be the beginning of a deeper ideological imposition, raising alarm over what it described as “a creeping moral dictatorship disguised as law enforcement.”
> “Is this an attempt to impose conservative, possibly religious values on a secular, culturally diverse state like Delta? Are we witnessing the first signs of a quiet theocratization?” Ubi questioned.
The group drew stark comparisons with hardline regimes in Saudi Arabia and Iran, insisting that Delta State is not a theocracy but a land of resistance, culture, and freedom.
> “This is not Saudi Arabia. This is not Iran. This is Delta State. A land where people have the right to express themselves—through their voices, their votes, and yes, their fashion.”
Ubi didn’t hold back in his closing remarks, issuing a rallying call to civil society:
> “Let those in power chase bandits, not brassieres. Let the police go after kidnappers, not crop tops. The dress of our daughters is not the enemy. Insecurity is. Corruption is. Governance failure is.”
The movement warned that failure to rescind the policy would be viewed as a declaration of “moral war” against the people and vowed to resist through all legal and democratic means.
> “We are watching. We are organizing. And we will fight back against any attempt to turn Delta into a theocratic prison. This policy must be withdrawn. Anything less, and history will remember who stood firm—and who sold out.”
The message from TIB is clear: The bodies of the people are not battlegrounds for state repression. The real war should be waged against violence, not veils.
PIONEER NEWS 