Sharia law applies in 12 northern states of Nigeria, including Borno. scabornostate, Facebook
In Nigeria, civil rights activists have launched a petition to strip the country’s constitution of all references to Islam. The petition calls for a secular Nigeria with no religious bias in governance; the removal of sharia law from the Nigerian constitution; and a single, unified legal system that upholds equality and justice for all Nigerians. The End Sharia Now campaign that is behind the petition says it has been signed by thousands of Nigerians.
Christianity and Islam are the major religions in Nigeria, each accounting for roughly half of the population. Under an unwritten political arrangement dating from the return to civilian democracy in 1999, the presidency and co-presidency alternate between the two major religions. However, in 2023 this was overturned when the offices of president and vice-president went to two Muslims, Bola Tinuba and Kashim Shettima respectively. Christianity is the main religion of the southern states, with Islam dominating in the northern states, 12 of which have introduced Islamic legal systems that coexist with federal law.
Violation of the federal constitution
Nigeria’s federal constitution, which dates from 1999, explicitly recognizes Nigeria as a secular state. The inclusion of sharia provisions undermines this, and creates division and inequality, according to the End Sharia Now campaign website. The campaign argues that including Islamic provisions specifically goes against Section 10 of the constitution which reads, “The Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion.”
“Nigeria is a proud, diverse nation of over 200 million people of different faiths, ethnicities, cultures, and philosophies. At independence, we were promised a country governed not by any religion or tribal ideology, but by law, equity, and democracy,” convenor Benson Sunday said, in a statement carried by Arise TV.
“Despite the constitutional promise of religious neutrality, our current Constitution is heavily infused with Islamic elements—terms, institutions, and legal provisions that contradict our secular national identity and directly empower 12 Northern states to operate a parallel Islamic legal system,” the statement reads.
According to the statement, the constitution mentions sharia 73 times, Islam 28 times and Muslims 10 times, but makes no reference to Christianity or other faiths.
Sharia used against non-Muslims
In the 12 northern states that have introduced sharia, Islamic judges rule not just on issues of Islamic personal law, but also on criminal matters. Sharia law prescribes harsh punishments of offenders, including flogging, amputation and stoning.
Although the application of sharia varies from state to state, blasphemy appears to be a capital crime in all of them, according to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). The federal authorities have, in the past, prevented inhumane sharia sentences being carried out and have overruled sharia rulings that go against federal law, according to the CFR.
In Kano State, a sharia court sentenced 13-year-old Omar Farouq to 10 years in jail in 2020 for alleged blasphemy, while Yahaya Sharif, a 22-year-old musician, was handed the death sentence in the same year for sharing a song with purportedly profane lyrics on social media. Farouq was cleared of the charges and released the following year, after international appeals to then-president Muhammadu Buhari. He is said to have fled abroad. Yahaya remains in prison as he appeals his case to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The campaigners point out that in the states that implement sharia, non-Muslims may find themselves “being tried and punished under religious laws they do not subscribe to.” “This is unconstitutional, unjust, and deeply dangerous to our unity.”
“When a country operates two conflicting legal systems—secular law for some and religious law for others—it fosters division along religious lines, injustice for minorities, discriminatory laws based on faith, suppression of freedom of belief and thought, and legal persecution of converts and women,” the statement continues.
“This is exactly what has happened in places like Egypt, Iran, and Pakistan—nations that call themselves republics but operate under Islamic law.”
Wake-up call to Nigerians
The campaigners warn that Nigeria—officially a democratic, secular republic—is at risk of becoming like these countries.
“We cannot accept a constitution that gives legal recognition to any religion—Christianity, Islam, or otherwise,” the statement concludes.
“This is why we have launched a national petition campaign. Thousands of Nigerians have already signed—and we are calling on millions more to rise up.”
In a Facebook post, Sunday issues a plea to Christians and people of other faiths: “Do not sleep while your nation is being restructured under Sharia law! We must stand up and demand the removal of Sharia from our Constitution to protect Nigeria’s secular future.”
