Muslim students have asked a Lagos High
Court to commence hearing of the suit in which they sued the Lagos State
Government for allegedly proposing to ban the use of Hijab by female
Muslim pupils in public schools in the state.
Applicants in the suit, the Muslims
Students Society of Nigeria and two secondary school pupils, on
Wednesday urged the court to ignore further plea by government to give
it more time to settle the matter out of court.
The pupil applicants, Miss Asiyat
Abdulkareem and Miss Maryam Oyeniyi, both 12 year olds, are pupils of
Atunrashe Junior High School, Surulere, Lagos State.
The minors joined the suit as claimants through their fathers, Alhaji Owolabi Abdulkareem and Mr. Suleiman Oyeniyi.
The defendants in the suit are the Lagos
State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye;
Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye; and Commissioner
for Home Affairs and Culture, Mr. Oyinlomo Danmole.
A state counsel, Mr. Samuel Ajanaku,
pleaded with the judge, Justice Modupe Onyeabo, to further adjourn the
matter to afford the government time to settle the matter out of court.
But the claimants’ lawyer, Mr. Gani
Adetola-Kasim, opposed the application for adjournment, submitting that
many of such adjournments had been granted at the instance of the
defendants without any tangible result.
He urged the court to proceed to the
hearing of the matter, saying the government had failed to respond to a
proposal for terms of settlement sent since last year when the matter
was filed.
Adetola-Kasim said the matter needed to
be heard expeditiously because it bordered on fundamental rights of the
students and public interest.
Justice Onyeabo has fixed further hearing in the case for April 24.
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