Court of Appeal to hear motion on ISI–UI Hijab judgment today

By KEMI KASUMU

The appeal was filed by the school authorities following a judgment delivered by the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan on May 22, 2024.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, is scheduled to hear a motion today, Thursday March 5, 2026, in an appeal challenging a previous court ruling that granted female Muslim students at the International School, University of Ibadan (ISI-UI), the right to wear hijab with their school uniforms.

The appeal was filed by the school authorities following a judgment delivered by the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan on May 22, 2024. In that ruling, the court affirmed the right of Muslim female students at the institution to wear hijab over their uniforms.

According to a statement issued by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Chairman of the ISI-UI Muslim Parents Forum (ISIMPF), the appellate court will consider the motion related to the appeal filed by the school authorities.

Balogun said the Muslim Parents Forum, through its counsel, Barrister Hassan Fajimite, has submitted a counter-motion urging the Court of Appeal to strike out the appeal.

The dispute dates back to December 2018 when some Muslim parents approached the court after efforts to resolve the matter with the school management failed. The parents sought legal protection for Muslim female students who wished to wear hijab over their school uniforms, arguing that the right is guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Court of Appeal’s decision on the motion is expected to determine the next steps in the ongoing legal battle over the hijab policy at the school.