The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, will Thursday deliver judgment on whether or not students in Lagos public primary and secondary schools can wear the Hijab (Muslim headscarf) on their uniforms.
President of the Lagos State Area Unit of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Saheed Ashafa, said Thursday that according to a hearing notice made available by the court, the judgment will be delivered in Court Two by 9am.
A special five-man panel of the court led by Justice A. B. Gumel had on May 27, reserved its judgement on the matter after asking parties involved in the case to update their defence documents.
Other Justices in the panel set up by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa are Justice M. Fasanmi, Justice A. Jauro, Justice J.S. Ikejegh and Justice I. Jombo Ofor.
Justice Amina Augie had on May 3, ruled among others that the matters raised in the suit required Constitutional interpretation and directed the appellants to write Justice Bulkachuwa to set up a full court (of five justices) to hear the case.
Justice Modupe Onyeabor of an Ikeja High Court had on October 17, 2014, dismissed the suit instituted against the Lagos State Government by two 12-year-old girls, Asiyat Kareem and Mariam Oyeniyi, under the aegis of the MSSN, Lagos State Area Unit.
Dissatisfied, the appellant approached the appellate court seeking to set aside the judgment and protect their Constitutional rights.
They argued that the ban was a violation of their rights to freedom of thought, religion and education.
The government had banned the use of Hijab on the argument that it was not part of the approved school uniform for pupils.
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Pls don’t try issue of hijab in Lagos state Lagos is not osun pls be careful with this case head will role don’t if u need hijab go to pure Muslim school