A number of persons sustained injuries on Thursday as a protest over the use of hijab took a turn for the worse in Oyun Baptist High School, Ijagbo, Oyun LGA of Kwara state.
The latest fracas erupted when some parents protested the rejection of
their wards at the school premises.
The protest was said to have degenerated into violence after an
unidentified man reportedly informed other protesters of a machete cut.
This triggered an angry reaction from the protesting parents.
The use of hijab has been generating controversy in public schools in the
state, especially in grant-aided missionary schools.
In February 2021, the state government ordered the closure of 10
schools over a dispute on the matter.
The controversy later degenerated into violence in Ilorin , where
Christians and Muslims engaged in a confrontation following the
decision of the state government to reopen the 10 schools earlier closed.
Thereafter, the Kwara government said the use of hijab in public schools
is not mandatory but schoolgirls who are willing can put on the headgear
and the school authorities should not turn anyone away for using it.
Confirming the development, Ajayi Okasanmi, Kwara police
spokesperson, said security personnel have been deployed to the scene.
Okasanmi said normalcy has returned to the school and that security
operatives would remain there until the area is safe for the residents.
