Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

Court scolds Lagos in hijab ban suit, adjourns to May 3

By Kabir Alabi Garba
11 February 2016   |   11:37 pm
The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos has reprimanded the Lagos State Government for not filling a response to the appeal against the ban on Hijab in secondary schools in the state. The lead judge, Justice Sidi Bage scolded the government during the hearing of an appeal against ban on Hijab last Monday at Igbosere,…

Hijab

The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos has reprimanded the Lagos State Government for not filling a response to the appeal against the ban on Hijab in secondary schools in the state.

The lead judge, Justice Sidi Bage scolded the government during the hearing of an appeal against ban on Hijab last Monday at Igbosere, Lagos.

It would be recalled that the Court of Appeal had on Thursday, November 19, 2015 heard the appellant motion against the ban on the Muslim headscarf.

The Guardian recalls that Lagos State Government banned the use of Hijab on the argument that it was not part of the approved school uniform for students.

Subsequently, members of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Area Unit proceeded to court to seek redress and protect Muslim females from being flogged, embarrassed, and victimised for using the Hijab within and outside school premises.

In the High Court Ruling, Justice Grace Modupe Onyeabo earlier ruled against the use of Hijab because of the “secularity” of Lagos State.

After the High Court judgment, the appeal court was approached but the Counsel for Lagos State Government did not file a respondent brief.

Instead, the LASG counsel, who is the Chief State Counsel, Mr. Oluwole Ligali, filed a motion for extension during the yesterday’s hearing and also pleaded to file response within one week.

However, the lead judge faulted the LASG, alleging that the government was “playing with a case of public interest.”

Earlier, Wasiu Amoo, who led other seven other lawyers representing the appellants withdrew their motion, asking the Court to set down the matter for hearing since LASG has eventually filled their motion asking for the Court to allow them file their Respondent brief out of time.

After granting the request, the case was subsequently adjourned till May 3, 2016.

In his reaction, the President of the MSSN Lagos, Saheed Ashafa, expressed displeasure over what he described as delay tactics of the LASG.

He added that regardless of the plot of the LASG, the society wouldn’t be discouraged in ensuring that the fundamental right of Muslim females to wear Hijab was not trampled upon.

Ashafa said, “We will continue to be peaceful and we urge Muslims community adopt same regardless of the distracting tactics of the state government. We are highly dissatisfied at their slow response to the court process. God’s willing, we will not relent in our demand for full recognition of our rights, which is the continued use of Hijab by students in Lagos State-owned schools.”

0 Comments