Hijab: Muslims Wanted To Enter…Christians Said No – Kwara Police React To School Violence

The police have denied reports that violence broke out on Wednesday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, over irreconcilable differences on the wearing of Hijab by Muslim students in Christian missionary schools in the state.

Speaking to THE WHISTLER in a phone interview on Wednesday, the state’s police spokesperson, DSP Ajayi Jeffrey, said although there was tension between “two opposing groups” in the state capital, no violence had been recorded.

Jeffery said the tension stemmed from a government policy which approved the wearing of Hijab by Muslim schoolgirls in Christian missionary schools and the rejection of same policy by the managements of the schools.

The position of the police however contradicts earlier media reports and social media videos which showed some residents throwing stones and other objects at each other around a Baptist school in Ilorin.

“There is no violence in Kwara. What happened was that there was a government policy regarding Christian missionary schools that were said to have been taken over by the state government [over] the issue of female Muslim students wearing hijab and owners of the schools declaring that [they] would not allow that to happen.

“Yesterday, the government declared that the schools should be open today after being closed for the past two weeks over the same issue. And we the police are here on security and we ensured that we deployed our men to all the schools to prevent any break down of law and order.

“This morning, some of the Muslims wanted to enter [the schools] and the Christians said no, and we were there to ensure that there was no violence,” he said.

Asked to react to viral videos of the alleged violence, Jeffery said: “I haven’t seen the videos, but as far as I’m concerned, arguments can happen between two opposing groups but the fact that they were arguing does not mean that there is violence yet. There is nothing like violence for now.”

In one of the social media videos, a Christian resident claimed that some Muslim faithful had invaded one of the missionary schools and set it ablaze.

But the police spokeswoman told THE WHISTLER that, “There is nothing like any school being set ablaze, I just left there not up to 20 minutes and we have policemen there. IF there was anything like that, they would have informed me.”

This website earlier reported that the Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq-led administration had ordered the closure of 10 Christian missionary schools in the state over the hijab controversy.

Some Muslims stakeholders were said to have called the state government’s attention to the ban on Hijabs in the schools and demanded that female Muslim students be allowed to attend school with their veils on.

Governor AbdulRazaq’s approval of their demand was said to have led to tension and the subsequent violence.

The affected missionary schools are: C&S College, ST. Anthony College, ECWA School, Surulere Baptist Secondary School, Bishop Smith Secondary School, CAC Secondary School, St. Barnabas Secondary School, St. John School, St. Williams Secondary School and St. James Secondary School.