* Warns principal against harassment, intimidation of Muslim students
The Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan on Wednesday adjourned to October 7, 2026, the hearing of an application for injunction pending appeal and stay of execution in the legal dispute over the use of hijab by Muslim female students at the International School, University of Ibadan.
Pending the determination of the application, the three-member panel led by Justice Kenneth Ikechukwu Amadi, Ph.D, ordered all parties to maintain the status quo and warned the school principal against harassing, intimidating or taking any action against the affected students.
Court documents obtained by Muslim News showed that the matter, marked CA/IB/347/2024, was listed among the civil motions scheduled for hearing on Wednesday at the Ibadan Judicial Division of the Court of Appeal.
The application was filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, following last Friday’s judgment of the Court of Appeal, which overturned the earlier decision of the Oyo State High Court that permitted willing Muslim female students to wear the hijab in the school.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, counsel to MURIC, Alhaji Hassan Taiwo Fajimite, urged the court to preserve the subject matter of the appeal by granting an injunction pending appeal and staying the execution of the judgment.
He argued that neither the University of Ibadan nor the International School had the right to remove, prevent or take any action against the affected Muslim students while the matter remained before the courts.
The court, while considering the application, frowned at the actions of the school principal, describing the move as inappropriate and warning lawyers involved in the matter not to encourage or continue with what it described as “madness”.
The appellate court also berated the principal over his actions and questioned the basis for taking such steps when certified true copies of the judgment were yet to be released.
The principal was unable to provide a satisfactory explanation when asked by the court to justify the actions taken against the students.
After hearing arguments from counsel to both parties, the appellate court directed that the status quo be maintained and fixed October 7, 2026, for the hearing of the application.
The latest proceedings followed last Friday’s split decision of the Court of Appeal, which set aside the judgment of the Oyo State High Court that had declared the school’s restriction on hijab unconstitutional.
The appellate court held that the Supreme Court judgment affirming the right of Muslim female students to wear hijab applied to public schools and not to private institutions such as the International School, University of Ibadan.
The judgment generated widespread reactions from Muslim organisations, with MURIC announcing plans to challenge the decision at the Supreme Court.
On Monday, the first school day after the judgment, Muslim female students who voluntarily wear the hijab gained access to the school after an initial attempt by security personnel to prevent them from entering. Watch the video HERE
Wednesday’s order means the existing situation will remain in place until the Court of Appeal determines the pending application on October 7.
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