A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) violated the constitutional right to freedom of worship by refusing to allow female corps members to wear skirts based on their religious convictions.
Justice Hauwa Joseph Yilwa determined that mandating trousers as the sole uniform option for female corps members infringed on their fundamental rights to religious expression and human dignity.
The judgment followed the consolidation of two separate lawsuits filed by former corps members, Miss Ogunjobi John Blessing and Miss Ayuba Vivian, which shared similar legal arguments and were heard together by Justice Yilwa.
In the cases, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/989/2020 and FHC/ABJ/CS/988/2020, the plaintiffs maintained that being required to wear trousers contradicted their Christian beliefs, citing Deuteronomy 22:5, which they interpret as prohibiting women from wearing men’s clothing.
In a ruling delivered on June 13 and 14, 2025, copies of which surfaced over the weekend, the court found that NYSC’s trousers-only policy violated Section 38(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which protects the right to religious freedom, and amounted to degrading treatment and harassment.
Justice Yilwa issued firm rulings in favour of the applicants, granting all their requested reliefs, including a declaration that NYSC’s refusal to permit skirts for religious reasons is unconstitutional.
The court ordered the NYSC to formally recognise and allow the use of skirts for female corps members who raise genuine religious objections.
It also directed the NYSC to reinstate the two affected former corps members and reissue their certificates.
Additionally, the court ruled that the harassment, humiliation, and embarrassment inflicted on the applicants by NYSC officials constituted a clear violation of their constitutional right to freely practice and express their religion.
The judge granted ₦500,000 in compensation to each applicant for the breach of their fundamental rights. While both applicants had sought ₦10 million in damages, the court considered the ₦500,000 sum sufficient given the circumstances.
The ruling also emphasized that preventing the applicants from completing their service because of their choice of attire constituted religious discrimination.
“The action of the Respondents resulted in the Applicants being embarrassed and humiliated. This is an outright infringement of their fundamental rights,” Justice Yilwa stated.
The respondents named in the suits are the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and its Director-General. The applications were filed under Order 11 Rules 1 to 5 of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009; Sections 38 and 42 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended); Articles 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 17, and 19 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights; as well as the court’s inherent jurisdiction.
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