The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called for the delisting of examination centres found culpable in acts of hijab discrimination during the ongoing Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examinations, following an incident at Esther Oshikoya CBT Centre in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The group, through its Executive Director, Ishaq Akintola, condemned the reported harassment of a Muslim candidate, Fatimah Salaudeen, who was allegedly compelled to remove her hijab before being allowed access to the examination hall. MURIC described the incident as discriminatory, unjust and contrary to constitutional protections as well as JAMB’s stated position against hijab profiling.
Akintola argued that such actions could negatively affect candidates’ psychological stability and performance, particularly where delays caused by disputes at entry points reduce examination time and place affected candidates at a disadvantage.
The organization also criticized what it described as weak enforcement of court judgments affirming the rights of Muslim female students to wear hijab, while urging stronger intervention by authorities, especially in the South-West.
MURIC further demanded sanctions against officials, ad hoc staff, security personnel and centre operators found responsible for acts of discrimination, insisting that affected centres should be delisted to serve as deterrence.
The group said it is considering legal action over the Ibadan incident and disclosed plans to compile a list of alleged violators of Muslims’ religious freedoms for submission to the National Human Rights Commission and the United Nations.
The development was coming amid public reactions to the viral incident and ongoing debate over compliance with rules governing religious rights at examination centres.
