The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) Kwara chapter has demanded for justice for Habeeb Mustapha and other victims who sustained various degrees of gunshot injuries at Oyun Baptist High School, Ijagbo Kwara state while protesting the right of their daughters as Muslim to wear hijab.
The organization condemned the Kwara State government for its failure to act on time as the concerned parents had protested to Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Kwara State Teaching Service Commission and Government House twice before it degenerate to this level.
According to a press statement signed state chairman and Secretary of the organisation, Comrade Afolabi Lukmanand Comrade Rueben Olatunde and made available to Daily Links, “while demanding justice, we also want full investigation into the fracas as armed police and hoodlum on one side shot the unarmed muslim parents on the other side.
“Other victims who sustained various degrees of gunshot injuries include Kazeem Ibrahim, Rafiu Garba, Ajani Abdul Azeez, Tajudeen Lukman, Abdul wahab Abdul Hafeez,Taofik Mustapha, Jimoh Abdul Fatah, Adeshina Moshood among others.
“CDHR got the report of some Muslim students of Oyun Baptist High School Ijagbo who were sent home on the account of wearing Hijab. This is according to a viral video trending on social media dated 20th January, 2022. In the video many students were seen leaving the premises of the school putting on Hijab and the reason for leaving was that they were sent out by the school authority for wearing Hijab.
“The concerned authorities refuse to sanction the Principal, Mr Lambe and call the Baptist Mission to order on time before it escalates.
“The organization, however, applaud the closure of the school to allow full investigation by the Kwara State Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development to wade into the matter and why the authority of Oyun Baptist High School Ijagbo refuse to respect the law and maintain the status quo as the case of Hijab crisis in Kwara has been long resolved,” the statement said..
The statement said further that *according to an online report by premium times dated 18th March, 2021 with the caption ‘Hijab Crisis: Resume or face punishment, Kwara govt tells staff of affected schools.’ The State government says it will not condone any act of insubordination over the hijab controversy in the state again while the State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) directed the principals, teachers and staff of the 10 affected schools shut down over the hijab controversy to report at the schools or face disciplinary actions, said in the report.
“In the same vein the Kwara State Police Command through their spokesperson in the state, Ajayi Okasanmi, also stated in the report that the security agency will not tolerate the reoccurrence of the clash”. The statement read