Supreme Court okays use of hijab in Lagos schools

The Supreme Court has affirmed the right of female Muslim students in Lagos State to wear the head covering, known as hijab to school without harassment or discrimination.

A seven-man panel of justices, in a split decision of five to two, affirmed the earlier decision of the Court of Appeal in Lagos, which nullified a High Court judgement banning female students from wearing hijab with their school uniforms and being discriminatory on people of other faiths.

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In the lead judgement of the apex court, prepared by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun and read by Justice Tijani Abubakar, the appeal by the Lagos State Government was dismissed as lacking in merit.

Those on the panel were Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Justice John Inyang Okoro, Justice Uwani Aji, Justice Mohammed Garba, Justice Tijjani Abubakar and Justice Emmanuel Agim.

The Lagos State Government had in February 2017 approached the Supreme Court to challenge the July 21, 2016 judgement of the Court of Appeal, which reinstated the use of hijab by Muslim pupils in Lagos public primary and secondary schools.

Reacting to the judgement, the Amir (president) of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) in Lagos State, Miftahudeen Thanni, said that with the judgement, students in public primary and secondary schools in Lagos State could wear hijab to school without harassment.

He warned teachers and government officials against harassment of female Muslim students, urging that the Supreme Court judgement should put a stop to the “undue” punishment of students willing to wear the hijab.

Thanni, however, assured the state government and residents of peaceful co-existence, noting that Muslim students won’t abuse the judgement.

According to him, the judgement has deepened the students’ and Nigerians’ confidence in the judiciary.

“We hereby urge all stakeholders to be law-abiding for a peaceful implementation of the judgement. There should be no violation of human rights against our students, while we expect an immediate implementation of the judgement in all schools across the state. We urge the government not to delay implementation,” he said.

Also, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), through its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, hailed the judgement, saying the pronouncement has infused hope in the Nigerian judiciary.

The MURIC advised all public school authorities, hardliner principals, classroom teachers in Kwara, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Edo, etc to take note of the verdict.

“Let this serve as an eye-opener and a warning to religious fanatics and Muslim-haters wherever they may be, particularly those who often snatch the hijab from the heads of female Muslim students in public, those who have been humiliating our daughters and those who have been beating them mercilessly. Judgement day is here,” he said.