A judge of the Osun State High Court, Justice Jide
Falola, on Friday warned parties involved in a lawsuit
over the wearing of hijab in public schools to desist
from encouraging students to defy court order.
It would be recalled that Justice Falola delivered a
judgment allowing female Muslim students in public
schools to wear hijab to school on the 3 June, 2016,
citing their fundamental human rights and religious
belief as reasons for his judgment.
Falola said, “judiciary is a sanctuary that deals with
the law. Whoever handles any case would not allow
his religion to interfere in the process. Some students
were encouraged to defy court judgment. The only
means you have against any judgment is to appeal.
Not to encourage students to defy court judgment”.
He added that, “pictures of these students are on
social and regular media. The students may not be
aware of the implication of what they were being
made to do. These are students we expect to become
lawyers, doctors and judges in the future.”
Falola, who also admonished the media to be
professional in their reportage of proceedings on
hijab suit said “the intention of some tiny section of
the media is to intimidate and subdue the judiciary. I
am employed as a judge and sit in a court of law. May
that day never come when a judge will have to consult
a tiny god before adjudicating on a matter.”
“Reading through the press in the past few days, he
added, one would think the Armageddon has come.
The media should not use their reports to provoke
crisis. They have constitutional roles to play. The
court works on facts and laws placed before it. My
conscience is clear and my hands are not tied. I
applied the law.”
