Court to Deliver Judgment on Use of Hijab in Lagos Schools

An Ikeja High Court will today deliver judgment on whether or not the use of hijab (Muslim head-scarf) should be allowed for Muslim students in public schools in Lagos State.

Justice Grace Modupe Onyeabo had at the last hearing on July 4, after listening to both the respondents (the Muslim students) and defendants (Lagos State government) argued their cases, fixed judgment for today.

The Muslim Student Association of Nigeria (MSSN) had dragged the state government to court over the ban, maintaining that it violated their fundamental human rights.

The association through their counsel, Adetola Kazeem (SAN) are also contending that banning female students from using hijab in or outside the premises of any educational institution in Lagos State “is wrongful and unconstitutional.”
Kazeem had argued that the use of hijab is a compulsory religious obligation for Muslim ladies who have reached puberty, which is not applicable to women alone.

But counsel to the Lagos State government, Mr. Lawal Pedro (SAN), while reacting to the counter affidavit, had also argued that the compulsory use of hijab as stipulated in the Holy Quran specifically refers to Muslim women in public and not female students enrolled in public schools, who are not adults. According to Pedro, the matter has nothing to do with religious discrimination rather a way of ensuring standard uniform among students in public and secondary schools in Lagos.

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