A viral video showing female students of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, being checked for bras before being allowed into an examination hall has sparked widespread outrage both online and on campus.
The footage, which surfaced on Tuesday, shows female students standing in line at the university’s main campus while unidentified officials inspected whether they were wearing bras before entering a computer-based test venue. The incident occurred during ongoing examinations at the institution.
The policy, widely perceived as humiliating and invasive, has triggered strong reactions from students and the general public.
A female student, who spoke to *PUNCH Online* under anonymity, confirmed the incident, saying, “This usually happens during exams. They check if you’re wearing a bra. It has happened to me once, and I felt really embarrassed. That’s OOU and their nonsense.”
Another student, Chioma, expressed anger over what she described as the security officers’ excessive interference in students’ personal lives.
“OOU doesn’t respect its students. Security officials chase us around for wearing slippers or shorts, and now this nonsense about bras. I’m glad the video went viral. Maybe now they’ll realise how stupid they’ve been,” she said.
In response to the backlash, the President of the Student Union Government, Muizz Olatunji, issued a statement via his social media handles, acknowledging that the union had met with school authorities to address the concerns.
“OOU Student Union has engaged with the institution to explore alternative approaches to addressing indecent dressing, focusing on respectful and dignified interactions between students and staff,” he stated.
While encouraging modest dressing, Olatunji clarified that the “No bra, no entry” rule is not new, but part of the school’s long-standing dress code policy. Nonetheless, the manner of enforcement has been widely condemned.
On social media platform X (formerly Twitter), users reacted angrily:
@truebenny001 wrote: “Foolishness of the highest order. What has a bra got to do with writing an exam?”
@the\_sassyqueenposted: “This is pure harassment. OOU needs to apologise to every girl treated like this.”
@the\_johnpaul said: “Instead of focusing on fixing poor facilities, they’re policing bras. Misplaced priorities.”
@AdaezeSpeaks tweeted: “OOU, do better. This is shameful and unconstitutional. You cannot police women’s bodies like this.”
Calls are growing for the university to review its dress code enforcement methods and apologise to students who were subjected to the bra checks.
Many students and rights advocates have also urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and other relevant bodies to look into the incident, which they describe as degrading and an abuse of students’ rights to dignity and privacy.
