Ibadan Students Protest Plans to Enforce Wearing of Veils By Muslim Youths

SECONDARY school students in Ibadan yesterday took to the streets of the Oyo State capital, protesting the continued disruption of their studies by Muslim youths out to enforce the use of veil (hijab) in public schools in the state. The students in their thousands stormed the state secretarial complex Agodi Ibadan, demanding to hear from the state governor, Alhaji Lam Adesina, what his government was doing about the hijab crisis in the state.

The irate students in their different school uniforms besieged the Governor's Office as early as 9 am and sang various solidarity songs while awaiting the arrival of the governor or his representative to address them on the issue. The situation was so chaotic that security agents in the secretariat had to quickly lock all entrances to the governor's office and secretariat complex.

In the ensuing confusion, there was a heavy traffic at the secretariat round-about as the protesting students blocked all the major routes.

However, the atmosphere became charged when the governor and his principal officers entered their official vehicles without addressing the students. The students became unruly and they started throwing stones and sticks at all the vehicles in the convoy of Governor Lam Adesina. In order to prevent the situation from getting out of hands, armed policemen were quickly drafted into the secretariat to maintain law and order. Windscreen of some vehicles parked within the secretariat complex were smashed by the irate students.