The Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan has fixed Thursday, March 5, to hear a motion on the appeal filed against the judgment of the Oyo State High Court which granted female Muslim students of the International School, University of Ibadan (ISI-UI), the right to wear hijab over their school uniforms.
The Oyo State High Court in Ibadan had on May 22, 2024 ruled in favour of the students, affirming their constitutional right to wear the hijab as part of their religious freedom while maintaining the school uniform. Dissatisfied with the ruling, the authorities of the institution subsequently filed an appeal challenging the judgment.
Chairman of the ISI-UI Muslim Parents Forum (ISIMPF), Abdur-Rahman Balogun, disclosed in a statement on Thursday that the Court of Appeal will hear the motion filed by the school authorities in relation to the appeal.
Balogun noted that the Muslim Parents Forum, through its counsel, Barrister Hassan Fajimite, has also filed a counter-motion urging the appellate court to strike out the motion submitted by the school authorities.
He recalled that the dispute dated back to December 2018 when aggrieved Muslim parents approached the court after efforts to resolve the matter amicably with the school management failed.
According to him, the parents sought judicial intervention to affirm the constitutional right of willing Muslim female students of the institution to wear the hijab over their school uniforms.
The outcome of the hearing is expected to determine the next step in the prolonged legal dispute over the use of hijab at the International School, University of Ibadan.
