By Ismail Auwal
Many people have reportedly been injured as a result of the outbreak of violence as the protest over the use of hijab in Oyun Local Area of Kwara State intensified.
The wearing of the hijab has sparked debate in the state’s public schools, particularly in grant-aided missionary schools.
Due to a disagreement, the state government ordered the closure of ten schools in February 2021.
The controversy later devolved into violence in Ilorin, where Christians and Muslims clashed following the state government’s decision to reopen the ten previously closed schools.
Following that, the Kwara government stated that the use of hijab in public schools is not mandatory, but that schoolgirls who wish to wear it should be allowed to do so, and that school officials should not turn anyone away for doing so.
The most recent squabble erupted when some parents protested the rejection of their children on school grounds.
After an unidentified man allegedly informed other protesters of a machete cut, the protest was said to have devolved into violence. The protesting parents became enraged as a result.
Some students were said to have thrown objects at those outside the school grounds.
The police, who had been dispatched to the scene to prevent chaos, allegedly fired warning shots into the air and used teargas to disperse the crowd.
Confirming the development, Ajayi Okasanmi, Kwara police spokesperson, said security personnel have been deployed to the scene.
Okasanmi said normalcy has returned to the school and that security operatives would remain there until the area is safe for the residents.
