MSSN re-opens talk on Law School’s anti-hijab stance, sympathises with Zamfara victims, others

*Says government handling Law School/Firdaus rights breach with levity

*Commends FG on anti-corruption fight, war against Boko Haram, others

By Kemi Kasumu, General Editor

The National Executive Council of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), on Sunday, rose from a meeting in Abuja at the end of which it expressed dismay at the manner by which the Federal Government was handling the issue of fundamental rights University of Ilorin law graduate, Firdaus Amasa, infringed upon by the management of Nigerian Law School and Council of Legal Education.

The MSSN, in a statement signed by its National President, Mallam Muhammad Jameel Muhammad, demanded that Amasa, deprived of being called to Bar by the Nigerian Law School for no other reason but her wearing of hijab, be called to bar with immediate effect while allowing her to uphold to the teaching of her religion, failure to do, which it gave government two weeks of massive protests by Nigerian Muslims until the rights of female Muslims in schools and other public institutions in the country are upheld and respected.

It also demanded that management of the Law School and Council of Legal Education in the country should be mandated to pay for damages and apologise to the person of Firdaus Amasa for the delay caused in her career and embarrassment inflicted on her.

“The case of Firdausi Amasa Aljannah whose fundamental human right to freedom of choice to religion and association as enshrined in the Constitution was trampled upon is still fresh in the minds of Nigerian Muslims.  The way and manner the issue is being handled by government is sending a very bad signal and deteriorating the confidence Muslims are having in authorities.  As such, the society makes the following demands; That Firdausi Amasa Aljannah should be called to bar while allowing her to uphold to the teaching of her religion; that the management of the Nigerian Law School and the Council of Legal Education should be mandated to pay for damages and apologise to the person of Firdausi Amasa Aljannah for the delay caused in her career and embarrassment inflicted on her; and the society gives the President an ultimatum of 2 weeks to address the issue, otherwise, the Nigerian Muslim students may be forced to resort to open protest till the rights of our Muslim sisters are upheld and respected.”

The MSSN also sympathized with victims, families and people of Nigeria over the series of bandit attacks that claimed the lives many people, specifically, recent killing of over 40 people in Zamfara State and leaving others with injuries.

“Not long ago, similar killings that claimed innocent lives in Benue, Taraba and Adamawa were witnessed and yet the government shows no encouraging commitment to bring the culprits to book.  Kidnappings and armed robbery have beomce the news of the day and people are living in fear over their safety on the roads and at their homes.  While appreciating the efforts of this government in fighting the Boko Haram insurgency, we pray that the same commitment and vigour will be in place to check the aforementioned security challenges,” it said.

The MSSN expressed that the idea of a state police would not be a good one for the country, adding that it was not only frightening but also threatening considering “how security issues and politics are handled by some state governors.”

It therefore rejected the idea of state police in Nigeria and called on “all well-meaning citizens to stand against this move to prevent Nigerians from experiencing anarchy.”

It also reviewed the issues of cultism, child labour and drug abuse and called National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), other security agencies and other stakeholders to do the needful in curbing the menaces in the nation’s communities.

The Muslim Students body also considered the lingering fuel crisis and the incessant speculation about increase in pump price as well as economic hardship suffered by Nigerians and told the government to “face the issue with empathy and all seriousness to reduce the sufferings of the masses.  To this note, while the efforts of this government in the fight against corruption are commendable, the same commitment should be shown in addressing the sufferings of the masses.”

The MSSN did not end its statement until it had sympathized with families of its members, the Misau students, who lost their lives in a ghastly motor accident recently.

It seized the opportunity of the statement to call on agencies of government concerned with fixing of roads to put them in good shape and enforce traffic laws to prevent avoidable accidents on Nigerian roads in future.