Hijab: Several injured as peaceful protest turns violent in Kwara

One person was feared dead with several others injured as a protest by Muslim parents and students over the continuous denial of the use of hijab by Oyun Baptist High School (OBHS), Ijagbo, turned violent on Thursday. It was gathered that the parents and the students arrived the school around 7am in protest against the […]

One person was feared dead with several others injured as a protest by Muslim parents and students over the continuous denial of the use of hijab by Oyun Baptist High School (OBHS), Ijagbo, turned violent on Thursday.

It was gathered that the parents and the students arrived the school around 7am in protest against the decision but were attacked by thugs.

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In one of the viral videos of the incident, the protesters are seen scampering amidst gunshots.

A resident of Ijagbo, Alhaji Soliju, said security operatives had been stationed at the gate while broken bottles littered the ground.

Another resident who does not want his name in print told our reporter on phone that the protest was peaceful until the attack.

The resident said, “The Muslims continued the protest at the gate of the school this morning before they were attacked by some thugs.

“I saw a boy who was injured in the process being rushed to the hospital on a motorcycle. We don’t really know whether he was shot or matcheted, but we heard that he later died.

“Another boy was beaten severely in the process by the thugs who came with cutlasses and guns, and several other people were injured. The protest was peaceful until the attack.”

He added that, “Although the situation is calm now, but we don’t know what could happen next.”

It was gathered that banks and other schools around the vicinity closed down as a result of the incident.

Several calls to the state’s Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Timothy Reuben Ibitoye, were not answered.

The spokesman of the Ministry of Education, Kamaldeen Aliagan, said a statement would soon be issued on the matter.

It would be recalled that before the school gate incident, students and parents, on Wednesday, stormed the Government House, Ilorin, to protest the decision of OBHS over the matter.

Some of the parents told Daily Trust that their wards had been denied access to the school for the last three weeks despite the directive of the government to the contrary.

They also accused the leadership of the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) over the matter.

Before then, the Kwara State Government, on Tuesday, January 25, 2022, restated its policy and directed management of schools in the state to allow the use of hijab and beret by willing students.

Also, a government delegation, led by the Commissioner for Education, Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo Kawu, had visited the school on two occasions to resolve the matter.