Wear Your Hijab To School – Supreme Court

By Adesina Soyooye

In a judgement that has put an end to the controversy over the wearing of Hijab by Muslim female students in Lagos State to Public Schools, the Supreme Court of Nigeria has approved that they wear it. The Court in a ruling on Friday, June 17, asked them to wear their Hijab to school.

The Justices of the Supreme Court, in a split decision of five to two, said that the Lagos State Government’s ban on it was discriminatory.

This ruling has set a precedent that would affect all such cases elsewhere, especially, in Kwara State and a couple of other States where the wearing of Hijab by Muslim students had, atimes, degenerated into violence and closure of schools. Particularly, Schools owned by Christian Missionaries have been strongly against it.

The judgment was in an appeal – Lagos State Govt. and Ors V. Asiyat AbdulKareem with suit number SC/910/16.

The Lagos State Government had appealed the ruling of the Appeal Court which had earlier approved the use of Hijab, and also dismissed its ban as discriminatory.

The lead judgment was read by the Honourable Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun. Four other Justices of the Court held the same view with her. Two Justices dissented.

Other Justices on the panel were  Olukayode Ariwoola, John Inyang Okoro, Uwani Aji, Mohammed Garba,  Tijjani Abubakar, and  Emmanuel Agim.

Muslim students who thronged the Court broke into jubilation eith shouts of Allah is Supreme.