PRESS RELEASE

MUSLIM STUDENTS' SOCIETY OF NIGERIA (MSSN) B-ZONE

Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. 26th May, 2018.

WHEN A SCHOOL PROPRIETOR AND HIS PRINCIPAL 'RAN MAD' TYING STUDENTS TO CROSSES FOR COMING LATE TO SCHOOL

On Wednesday, the 16th day of May, 2018, the Nation woke up to an absurd, and unbelievable but real situation when the Proprietor of a School in Ogun State, Metorite Standard School, Ayetoro, Ogun State tied two students of their school to crosses for coming late to school. The Punch Newspaper and some other social media platforms reported the incidence and indicated that the police had swung into action and arrested both the Proprietor and the Principal for criminal case of assault and child abuse. Of more concern was the picture of one of the victims, a Muslim female student in hijab that went viral with her hands tied to cross.

We, as a students' body recognises the right of parents, school administrators and teachers to instill discipline in their children or students within reasonable limit. It is African and equally not inconsistent with the dictates of our religion, Islam. However, the action of Mr Afolayan Joseph and the Principal of the school as stated above is not only barbaric, it is crude, unbelievable, an infringement on the students' right to dignity of human person. The action is equally insensitive of the religious inclination of the hijab-wearing student. It is a clear case of child abuse.

The Muslim Students' Society of Nigeria, B-Zone commend the Nigeria Police, Ogun State Command for their swiftness in arresting the situation and the level of their investigation of the matter so far. We specifically single out for commendation the police officer who witnessed the incidence and got the suspects arrested. We however call on the police authority in the state to waste no time in charging the suspects to court and prosecute the case to logical conclusion in order to serve as deterrent to others.

We also call on the Ministry of Education, Ogun State to spring into action and conduct a thorough investigation into the activities of Metorite Standard School and do everything possible to save the innocent students from the awkward attitudes of its management. We believe that Mr Joseph Afolayan and his Principal are not worthy of being entrusted with the lives of innocent students.

While we see the ungodly, barbaric and demeaning attitude exhibited in this case as purely attitudinal and devoid of religious undertone and wish to address it as such, we use this medium to urge other religious leaders and organizations to always call a spade what it actually is, a spade not any other name. We can imagine if it had been the other way round, a Muslim principal tying a Christian girl to cross, media would have been agog with inscriptions capable of instigating religious crisis. Christian Association of Nigeria would have associated it with their imaginary but unsubstantiated claim of President Buhari's Islamization agenda while Christian Elders'Forum would have called for war to save a Christian child from Islamization. Or how do we a call for religious war if Leah Sharibu is not released when on daily basis the Muslims you want to fight are equally murdered and abducted in their homes, on the streets and even religious places of worship by the same criminals who abducted Leah Sharibu.

Finally, we call on human right community and other stakeholders to speak out against this child abuse and show the whole world that their activism is devoid of religious sentiment.

Signed

Barr Qaasim Odedeji
Amir, MSSN, B-Zone

Alh. Abdul Jalil AbdurRasaq
Secretary

Engr. Bashir Momoh
Public Relations Officer.

All this faceless groups...

simijimi:
All this faceless groups...

MSSN a faceless group? Maybe u are a faceless human being.

The moment , i saw one national daily feature the girl wearing hijab tied to a wood they called cross, i knew they would spin this out of control

This Boko Haram people don come again oh

This country is really really funny.
This MSSN and MURIC will always call out relevant authorities on trivial issues like HIJAB and the case of this principal, nothing wrong with that and I don't have issues with that.
But my concern is their hypocritical silence when human lives are constantly wasted by herdsmen and Boko Haram. I was expecting to hear these groups hold government accountable when it wants to release Boko Haram members already caught, I was expecting these groups to admonish the government to charge them to court. Till date no herdsman has been diligently prosecuted and these groups has been complicitly silent.
To my Muslim friends I mean no disrespect, I respect your religion and your right of expression, but I think we have two hydra headed monsters, Boko Haram and herdsman, trying to destroy this country and I feel any patriot in this country should join hands let's destroy it before it destroys our country Nigeria.