Kwara Hijab controversy: Islamic group demands justice for student allegedly killed

The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has cried foul over the move to reopen Baptist High School, Oyun, where crisis erupted earlier this year due to the alleged refusal of the school authorities to obey the State government’s directive permitting the use of hijab in all schools in the State.

The Kwara State Government (KWSG) had yesterday re-opened Baptist High School.

However, MURIC is demanding justice for the 20-year-old Muslim, Habeeb Idris, allegedly killed during the protest.

In a statement issued on Friday by the group’s leader, Professor Ishaq Akintola, MURIC complained that the murder case had been swept under the carpet.

The statement reads part: “The Kwara State Government (KWSG) yesterday reopened Baptist High School, Oyun, where a crisis erupted in February 2022 due to the refusal of the school authorities to obey the state government’s directive permitting the use of hijab in all schools in the state.

“While we are not interested in disrupting the educational pursuit of the students, we are perturbed that no arrest has been made for the killing of 20-year old Habeeb Idris who was fatally shot during the demonstration outside the school’s gate by fully armed members of the Baptist mission who had assembled inside the school to prevent hijab clad female Muslim students from gaining entrance into the school.

“While we welcome the reopening of the school and fully endorse KWSG position on the government’s ownership of all public schools, we frown at the government’s silence on the killing of Habeeb Idris.

“Somebody inside the school shot Habeeb. It is premeditated murder. Otherwise what are gunmen doing inside a school? Four other students were macheted and they sustained varied degrees of injuries. Members of the Baptist mission were ready to kill in order to enforce their will not only on innocent Muslim students but also on the state government. They had the noun ‘murder’, the verb ‘to kill’ and they actually did. Those blood thirsty zealots should not be allowed to go scot free.

“KWSG in its statement said it opened the school in order to restore normalcy. But there can be no normalcy without peace and justice is the soul of peace. Unless KWSG is seeking peace in the graveyard, it must pursue justice by ensuring that the killers of Habeeb Idris are apprehended. The spirit of young Habeeb is calling for justice.

“We are asking the Nigerian Police to tell us why Muslim life is so cheap that nothing happens when a Muslim is killed but the police will spring into action the moment a Christian is the victim.

“We demand action from the men of Kwara State Command of the Nigerian Police. It is a lukewarm attitude like this which forces Nigerians to seek self help. It is responsible for mob action. Justice must not only be done but must be seen to have been done particularly where human life is involved.”