Hijab: Court of Appeal orders status quo in UI school, adjourns suit till Oct 7

A Court of Appeal siting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, has ordered all parties involved in the legal dispute related to the usage of Hijab by female Muslim students at University of Ibadan International School to maintain status quo.

The court gave the order on Wednesday.

The court also adjourned further hearing on the matter till 7 October, 2026.

DAILY POST reports that the school is a secondary school owned by University of Ibadan.

The legal dispute over the usage of Hijab in the school started in 2018 when some Muslim students were prevented from using the Hijab.

The parents of the affected students led by Alhaji Abdulrahman Balogun later took the matter to court.

DAILY POST recalls that an Oyo State High Court in its ruling in 2024 affirmed that the Muslim students have right to wear Hijab in the school. 

However, a Court of Appeal siting in Ibadan on Friday, in a split decision, overturned the earlier judgment of the Oyo State High Court.The Appeal Court on Friday that the Supreme Court’s decision affirming the right of Muslim female students to wear the hijab applies to public schools. https://dailypost.ng/2026/07/03/court-of-appeal-overturns-hijab-ruling-in-ui-international-school-case/

The appellate court however urged the parties involved to maintain status quo on the legal battle.

DAILY POST correspondent, who has been monitoring the proceedings since its inception in 2018, reports that the judges gave the order while hearing an application for an injunction pending appeal and stay of execution filed by Incorporated Trustees of Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC.

The suit, marked CA/IB/347/2024, was listed among the civil motions scheduled for hearing at the Ibadan Court of Appeal on Wednesday.

The panel of judges of the court, after listening to the parties involved in the matter, directed that the existing situation be maintained pending the hearing of the application on 7 October, 2026.

The three-man Appeal Court panel led by Justice K.I. Amadi also cautioned the school, the teachers or any of its administrators against any form of harassment or intimidation of the students over the issue.  

The court also ordered that the school should desist from taking any action against the affected Muslim students pending the determination of the case.