The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has criticised the authorities of the International School, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), over an alleged restriction preventing female Muslim students from wearing the hijab as part of their school attire.
MURIC described the situation as a denial of the students’ religious rights and called on the school authorities to reconsider the policy.
The organisation’s position comes amid an ongoing legal dispute over the wearing of hijab by Muslim students at the International School, with questions surrounding the extent to which religious freedom applies within institutions with specific dress codes.
MURIC has maintained that Muslim students should not be compelled to abandon a religious practice because of school regulations.
The controversy is part of a wider debate in Nigeria over religious expression in educational institutions. In 2022, the Supreme Court affirmed the right of female Muslim students in Lagos public primary and secondary schools to wear hijab, holding that restricting the practice violated their constitutional rights to freedom of religion and freedom from discrimination.
However, the legal position concerning individual institutions and their dress codes has continued to generate disputes.
In a related case involving the International School, University of Ibadan, the Court of Appeal ruled in 2026 that the Supreme Court’s earlier decision on hijab applied to public schools and did not automatically extend to the institution in that case, which the majority characterised as a private school. The court also considered the students’ undertaking to comply with the school’s rules and dress code.
MURIC has continued to challenge restrictions on hijab, arguing that students should be allowed to observe their faith without discrimination.
The latest development at OAU is therefore likely to keep the debate over religious freedom, school regulations and students’ rights alive, particularly as Muslim rights groups continue to push for greater recognition of religious expression in Nigerian educational institutions.
