A female Muslim student has narrated how she was allegedly asked to remove her hijab at a center in Lagos where she had gone to write Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The examination administered by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for students seeking admission into any tertiary institution in Nigeria commenced on Friday, April 19.
Muslim News gathered that it will run through April 29, 2024.
Lagos center stops hijab-wearing students as #UTME commences
1. A female Muslim student has narrated how she was allegedly asked to remove her hijab at a center in Lagos where she had gone to write Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). @JAMBHQ @mpacng @hijabnigeria pic.twitter.com/T9Q194xSIK
— Muslim News Nigeria (@muslimnews_NG) April 21, 2024
The victim, Aisha Tiamiyu told our correspondent on Friday that the official of Bafuto Institute, Ile-Iwe Bus-Stop, Ejigbo, Lagos denied her entry, insisting that use of hijab wasn’t allowed on the premises.
The hijab-wearing student reportedly removed her hijab before she was permitted to write the examination.
According to her, “On getting to the centre, the man at the gate asked me to remove my hijab and because I insisted I wasn’t going to do that, I was delayed outside. A woman yelled at me from one of the offices, saying that hijab was not allowed.
“When I couldn’t bear it any longer, I was helpless because time was running very fast. I removed my hijab, so I was allowed to go into the exam hall. However, a man told me to use my hijab thirty minutes into the exam.”
Muslim News findings also revealed that two other female students were stopped and delayed at the gate for their refusal to remove their Hijabs before they were eventually allowed in.
Efforts to speak with the management of the center proved abortive as at the time of filing this report on Saturday, April 20.
Recalled that the UTME has always been marred by harassment and violation of Muslim students rights to use the hijab. But the examination body – JAMB, has affirmed that its rule does not prevent female candidates from wearing hijab or other dresses that are in line with their religious beliefs.
– Muslim News Nigeria
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