SAN FRANCISCO, July 21, (THEWILL) – The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos has reversed the judgment of a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, which on October 17, 2014 banned the use of Hijab in Lagos State public primary and secondary schools.
In a unanimous judgment on Thursday, the appellate court set aside the verdict of the lower court, declaring that the ban was discriminatory against Muslim pupils in the state.
The special panel of the Court of Appeal set up to hear the case had previously reserved its judgment on Friday, May 27.
During the panel hearing, the presiding justice, A.B. Gumel, also asked parties involved in the case to update their defence documents.
Other Justices in the five-man panel set up by President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa are Justice M. Fasanmi, Justice A. Jauro, Justice J.S. Ikejegh and Justice I. Jombo Ofor.
The case is between Asiyat Kareem (Minor) suing through Mr. AbdulKareem Raji; Mariam Oyeniyi through Mr. Sulaimon Oyeniyi; and Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Area Unit (suing through its president, Saheed Ashafa), against Lagos State Government (LASG) and others, who were the respondent.
It would be recalled that Justice Amina Augie of the Court of Appeal in Lagos earlier affirmed that granting of the right to Muslim students to wear Hijab in Lagos State schools needed constitutional interpretation.
Justice Augie, while granting the right to hear a case on the Hijab matter on May 3rd, asked the appellants to write to the President of Appeal Court to set up a full court (of five justices) to hear the case.
In the case, the appellants want the judgment of the Lagos High Court to be reversed, while the defendant wants it to be upheld.
