Kwara shuts Baptist school after fresh violence over hijab use

Kwara has ordered the closure of Oyun Baptist High School, Ijagbo in the Oyun LGA of the state over the refusal of the management of the institution to allow female Muslim students use hijab.

According to NAN, the directive was contained in a statement issued by Sa’adatu Kawu, the state commissioner for education and human capital development, on Thursday in Ilorin.

Kawu condemned the “flagrant act of discrimination” against anyone, especially children, on religious grounds.

She also flayed the resort to violence in the government-owned school, describing the development as totally unacceptable.

The commissioner said such discrimination would not be tolerated in any public-owned institution in the state.

She called on security agencies to investigate and bring to book anyone linked to the violence as a deterrence.

Kawu also appealed for calm as “violence brings nothing good”.

The development comes amid reports that a number of persons sustained various degrees of injuries after a protest over the use of the hijab thickened in the school.

A man in his early 20s was seen being rushed to a nearby hospital following a gunshot.

A similar crisis had erupted in some grant-aided schools across the state over hijab use in the last few months.

The Kwara government, on January 25, restated its policy and directed management of schools in the state to allow the use of hijab by willing female Muslim students without forcing it on anyone or disallowing them from school.

Some Muslim parents and their wards were seen on some major streets of Ilorin protesting against the management of Oyun Baptist High School for turning back some students for wearing hijab.

Normalcy was, however, restored after security operations were beefed up around the area.