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The decision to bar the Muslim students from entering the school on Wednesday despite government decision did not go down well with some parents, leading to violent face-off.
The state government announced the reopening of 10 schools on Wednesday morning after they were first shut down in February.
The schools were closed on Feb. 19 over a dispute about the wearing of hijab by Muslim female students in some of the schools. x
The government set up a committee to find a solution to the dispute and it was later announced that the schools will resume on March 8 with willing female students allowed to use hijab.
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Published 17 March 2021
There was a clash between Muslim and Christian faithful on Wednesday in Ilorin after the Kwara State Government reopened 10 schools shut over hijab (Islamic headscarf) controversy.
It was learnt that students wearing hijab were disallowed from entering Baptist School, Surulere by some protesting Christians.
An eyewitness told our correspondent that this led to an altercation between the Muslims and Christians.
The altercation, the eyewitness said, eventually led to a clash that saw the Muslims and Christians throwing objects at themselves.
It was learnt that it took the intervention of security operatives to restore peace.
During their protest, the Christians displayed placards with various inscriptions such as ‘No Hijab in Baptist Schools and all mission/grant-aided schools’, ‘Otoge, give us back our schools, among others.
Vanguard News
Kwara Hijab Controversy: Christian leaders abort school resumption
On
By Demola Akinyemi – Ilorin
Contrary to the directive and expectations of Kwara state government, that the ten affected schools be reopened, violence marred the exercise as the Christians and Muslims in one of the affected schools engaged themselves in a war of words and eventually threw stones at each other over the resumption of students.
Vanguard reliably gathered that despite series of interface by the state government with the Christian leaders, which include the offer by the government that the schools would be returned to them, the Christian leaders were adamant and resolute on their demands.
The Kwara State Government has announced the reopening of the 10 schools shut last month over the use of hijab by Muslim female students.
This was disclosed in a statement signed on Tuesday by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Kemi Adeosun, on Tuesday night
She said the government is convinced that its policy to “allow willing Muslim schoolgirls to wear their hijab in public schools will lead to sustainable peace and communal harmony anchored on mutual respect and understanding.”
“This path to mutual respect, understanding, and peace with regards to hijaab had long been adopted in all of the northern Nigeria and many states in the Southwest such as Lagos, Osun, Ekiti, and Oyo States.
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Published 17 March 2021
The Kwara State Government has announced the reopening on Wednesday, March 17, 2021, of the 10 schools that were recently shut down over the hijab controversy.
A statement signed late Tuesday by Mrs Kemi Adeosun, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development said that “the government is convinced that its policy to allow willing Muslim schoolgirls to wear their hijab in public schools will lead to sustainable peace and communal harmony anchored on mutual respect and understanding.
“This path to mutual respect, understanding, and peace with regards to hijaab had long been adopted in all of the northern Nigeria and many states in the Southwest such as Lagos, Osun, Ekiti, and Oyo States.”