The Supreme Court of Nigeria has on Friday in Abuja approved the use of hijab by female Muslim students in Lagos State Government-owned schools, IgbereTV reports.
The Lagos State Government had banned the use of the hijab, arguing that it was not part of the approved school uniform for students.
Following the ban, Muslim students filed a suit on May 27, 2015, asking the court to declare the ban as a violation of their rights to freedom of thought, religion and education.
The case, CA/L/135/15, was between Lagos State Government, Miss Asiyat AbdulKareem (through her father), Miss Moriam Oyeniyi and the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria.
The court, in its judgement, ruled out an appeal by the Lagos State Government and upheld the earlier judgement of the Court of Appeal which held that the ban on hijab was discriminatory against Muslim students in the state.
Justices on the panel were Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Justice John Inyang Okoro, Justice Uwani Aji, Justice Mohammed Garba, Justice Tijjani Abubakar, and Justice Emmanuel Agim.
The panel maintained that the Muslim students’ contented the ban violated their rights to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, dignity of human persons and freedom from discrimination guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution
