A road safety commander in Nigeria has been suspended after cutting the hair of female traffic officers as punishment for violating the unit’s dress code.
Andrew Kumapayi, the commander of the Rivers State Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC), was stood down following the incident in which he used scissors to cut the women’s long hair in front of other staff, according to local media and an aide to the president.
“Humiliation of women taken too far,” Lauretta Onochie, a personal assistant to president Muhammadu Buhari, said on Twitter.
Mr Kumapayi is reported to have cut the women’s hair after a “hair, uniform and fingernails inspection” on Monday, Nigerian news site naij.com reported.
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The FRSC has regulations that women cannot have hair that drops below the collar, according to the report.
Photos of the incident were posted on social media by the traffic organisation, but were quickly deleted after they sparked a public backlash.
Mr Kumapayi was suspended along with several other male officers.
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