Supreme Court Upholds Wearing of Hijab in Lagos Schools

The Hijab may now be worn by female Muslim students attending schools run by the Lagos State Government after the Supreme Court of Nigeria ruled in their favour.

On Thursday, in Abuja, the highest court in the land issued a judgement that upheld the wearing of the hijab by Muslim female students.

The court dismissed the Lagos State Government’s appeal and upheld the Court of Appeal’s earlier decision that the hijab ban was discriminatory against Muslim students in the state.

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

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The verdict was met with wild celebrations from the Amir (President) of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Area Unit, Miftahudeen Thanni, and other members of the organisation.

The court ruled that the ban violated the rights of Muslim students to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, human dignity, and freedom from discrimination guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution.

The Lagos State Government had prohibited the wearing of the hijab, claiming it was not part of the approved school uniform for students.

Following the ban, the students filed a lawsuit on May 27, 2015, seeking redress and asking the court to rule that the ban violated their rights to free thought, religion, and education.