he Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday evening began the
probe of the alleged maltreatment of Aisha Alabi, a female student of
Kadara Junior Grammar School in the Ebute Metta area of the state by the
school head, Mrs. E.C. Ukpaka, for using hijab to school.
The
House set up a four-man ad-hoc committee to investigate the allegation
that Mrs. Ukpaka gave the student between 21 and 42 strokes of the cane
as claimed by some members of the Muslim community in the state.
The
members of the Muslim community had protested to the Government House
in Alausa, Ikeja last week decrying the situation and asking the
government to act on the issue.
The protest also resulted in the
petition written by the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) which
claimed that the beating of the 14-year old student was enough to cause
religious crisis.
While deliberating on the petition, some of the
members urged that the matter should be handled with caution to prevent
it from degenerating into a serious crisis.
Suuru Avoseh, a lawmaker representing Badagry Constituency 2 at the House, described the incident as unfortunate.
"We
don’t expect such an act to happen here in Lagos where peace reigns.
There is no law that prohibits a particular religious dressing in our
schools in Lagos.
We need to be careful in handling religious
matters of this nature. I will suggest that the concerned school and the
state Ministry of Education be invited to the House so that we can
investigate this matter," he argued.
In his reaction, the Chief
Whip of the House, Razaq Balogun, on his part, warned that the House
should not be quick in passing judgment over the issue.
He pointed
out that the House has only heard a side of the matter and that it will
be unfair to conclude and pass a judgment on the issue as a thorough
investigation into the allegation had not been conducted.
Balogun
said: "We have only heard a side of the story. I don’t want to believe
the child was beaten for wearing hijab. I don’t see a school in Lagos
banning the use of hijab.
Religion in Lagos is 50-50. So, what we
should do is investigate the matter before arriving at a conclusion."
Speaker of the House, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, while summing up the arguments,
warned that such actions would not be tolerated in the state.
"I
don’t think such a thing can happen. No teacher can harass or beat a
student for wearing hijab. We should not allow this to degenerate,"
Ikuforji said before setting up an ad-hoc committee.
The members
of the committee, which include Balogun as the Chairman, Wahab
Alawiye-King; Muhibat Rufai Adeyemi and Bimpe Akinsola, were instructed
to report back to the House next week.
Related Articles:
MSSN Protest Paralyses Activities At Alausa
Outrage As Principal Flogs Pupil For Wearing Hijab
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