Muslim students condemn tying of students to cross for late coming

The Muslim Students Society of Nigeria has condemned the tying to cross of two students of Metorite Standard School, Ayetoro, Ogun State by the Proprietor, Afolayan Joseph, and the School principal for coming late to school.
The position of MSSN was contained in a statement by the Amir and Secretary General of B-Zone of the group, Qaasim Odedeji and Alhaji Abdul Jalil Abdur Razaq.
They said: “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, Afolayan Joseph and the School principal 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 recognise 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 dictate 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 and right to dignity, indeed, an inhuman treatment. 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 (MSSN, 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 a 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 attitude 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 organisations to always call a spade what it actually is; spade and not any other name. We can imagine if it had been the other way round, a Muslim Principal tying a Christian girl to crescent, media would have been agog with inscriptions capable of instigating religious crisis. Christian Association of Nigeria would have associated it with their imaginary and 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 justify a call for religious war if Leah Sharibu is not released when on daily basis the Muslims you want to fight are murdered and abducted in their homes, on the streets and even religious places by the same criminals who abducted Leah Sharibu
“Finally, we call on the human right community and other stakeholders to speak out against this child abuse and show to the whole world that their activism is devoid of religious sentiment.”