No fewer than five students of Isolo Senior Secondary School were sent out of school by their principal for putting on hijab (Muslims head cover) to school. After being sent out of school on Wednesday, the students converted a tricycle popularly known as ‘Keke Napep’ to their classroom.
It was learned that the Principal, Mrs. J O Sadare, had on Friday announced on the Assembly that students should not wear hijab to school. After the announcement on Friday, some of the students wore the hijab to school and were given a letter to come with their parents on Tuesday.
When the students got to the school with their parents, the principal walked them out of her office after their insistence that their daughters must put on the hijab. Narrating the incident, Amir (President) of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria in Lagos State, Alhaji Saheed Ashafa, described the incident as disappointing in a press statement.
He said:
“When she shared the letter, a majority of students fidgeted and agreed to stop wearing the hijab. She collected the letters and let go of those ones, but about five of them refused to return the letter. When we were contacted, we asked the parents to honor the Principal’s invitation. They went there with our (MSSN) representatives but were embarrassed by the Principal who gave them the option of either their children’s education or religion. She eventually walked them out of her office after they insisted that their daughters must put on the hijab.
“The parents subsequently proceeded to the Education District in charge of the school and they were assured that something would be done. With the hope that her (the Principal) superiors should have spoken with her to realize that what she was doing was wrong with the subsisting Appeal Court judgment, the students went to school on Wednesday (today) and were still prevented from entering the school.
“These are Senior Secondary School Two and Three students who need to study hard for their examinations. When we got to the school this morning, we saw some of the students copying notes for lessons they have missed on Monday and Tuesday while the others were teaching themselves old lessons inside a tricycle on the street. This is disastrous for us. While their colleagues were in the classrooms learning, they were on the street just for being Muslims.”
He said:
“As a law-abiding student-based organization, we approached the Court of law on the usage of hijab by students. At the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on October 17, 2014, Justice Modupe Onyeabo banned the use of hijab in public primary and secondary schools in Lagos State.
“But we headed to the Court of Appeal. A five-man special appellate court panel, presided by Justice A.B. Gumel, on July 21, 2016, overruled the October 17, 2014 judgment of Justice Modupe Onyeabo of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, which banned the use of hijab in public primary and secondary schools in Lagos State. While striking down Justice’s Onyeabo’s verdict, the Justice Gumel panel held that the ban on hijab was discriminatory against Muslim pupils in the state
“Dissatisfied with the decision of the appellate court, the Lagos State Government approached the Supreme Court after failing to secure a Stay of Execution, but no judgment has been delivered yet. In law, where there is no other contrary judgment, the subsisting judgment remains valid.
“Thus, the ongoing harassment of our members is not only unconstitutional, an infringement, but also a contempt. Again, we repeat that this will never be allowed to stay. We will give this lawless, anti-democratic and anti-masses government what it wants and likes to witness.”
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