Groups Raise the Alarm over State-enforced Sharia

A group of civil society organisations (CSOs) have raised their voices against the increasing rule of Sharia in states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), warning that the development poses a direct threat to the unity of the country as well as freedom and equal rights of the citizens.

The groups gave the warning while reacting to a published  article which had claimed that there is no justification for opposition to Sharia in Nigeria.

They described the article attributed to scholars as “deeply misleading,” adding that such claim ignores historical truth, legal reality and human-rights evidence.

“It mis-frames what is at stake: not simply a matter of faith, but a matter of constitutional governance, freedom of belief, equality, and the very unity of Nigeria”, the groups stressed in a statement issued yesterday.

The groups, which  include :End Sharia Now; One Nation One Law; Love A Muslim Ministry; Seasoned Apologist; Faati Okodoro; Global Network of Christian Faith and Truth; and My Muslim Friend, observed that since Sharia law began in the 7th-century in Arabia, it had been used as an instrument of a broader pattern of territorial conquest and expansion.

“Historical precedent shows that regions like Turkey, Lebanon, and Syria, once predominantly Christian, were transformed into Islamic states through legal-religious enforcement and conquest. This same playbook is being repeated in Nigeria.

“Thus, when they say Sharia = Islam and Islam = Sharia, they are not merely using slogans: the historical evidence shows that the legal-religious system of Sharia has functioned as Islam’s political-legal core”, they claimed.

Besides, they argued that extreme Islamist groups like the Boko Haram makes explicit connections between Sharia and establishment of an Islamic state.

“Boko Haram (Jama’at Ahl al-Sunna lid-Da’wah wal-Jihad – “People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet’s Teachings and Jihad.”) declares  their aim to establish a fully Islamic state under Sharia in Nigeria.

“Their  methods: targeting schools and churches; kidnapping children and adults; suicide bombs; mass killings—terror campaigns enforcing ideological compliance.

“Their ideology and actions mirror a strict, militant interpretation of Sharia principles, proving that those who insist on Sharia rule cannot peacefully coexist with people of other faiths. This is not speculation—it is demonstrated reality,” the groups added.

Meanwhile, the groups alleged that other organisations like the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Islamic Supreme Council, and clerics such as Sheikh Gumi, and even traditional leaders like Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III (the Sultan of Sokoto) all lend public support to expansion of Sharia. 

“For example, the Sultan has recently backed the establishment of Sharia arbitration panels in Oyo and Ekiti States.

“This convergence of ideology, law and political aspiration shows that Sharia is being used not just as private faith practice, but as a public, enforceable legal-regime and power-structure.

“This connection supports the warning voiced by intelligence experts, such as Retired General Kunle Olawunmi and T.Y. Danjuma, that there exists a strong agenda to Islamise Nigeria.”

They therefore, submitted that”opposing Sharia in Nigeria is justified” and indeed a necessary defence of freedom, human rights and national survival.

The groups, accordingly, recommended that Sharia should be limited to personal faith practice only, not state law applicable to all Muslims and in reality all citizens.

While they called for the removal of Sections 260-264 and Sections 275-279, which provided for the establishment of a Sharia Court of Appeal at federal and state levels, they sought for the strengthening of protections for women, children and religious minorities.

“Promote human-rights education, inter-faith dialogue and secular civic awareness.

“Remain vigilant against extremist interpretations that exploit religion for political control.

“Promote the principle: one nation, one law, equal rights for all, regardless of faith or region.

“Nigeria is, and must remain, a secular state. Any attempt to impose Sharia as the law of the land is an existential threat to our unity, to the freedom of all Nigerians, and to the equality the Constitution promises,” they added.