SHARIA DEBATE RETURNS AS CIVIL SOCIETY WEIGHS IN ON CONSTITUTION REVIEW
Read Time:2 Minute, 7 Second
By Sunmisola Shodayo
A civil society organization, One Nation One Law (ONOL), has called upon the National Assembly to reassess the Sharia provisions within the Nigerian Constitution, asserting that their incorporation undermines the equitable protection of citizens and raises concerns pertaining to human rights.
The organization submitted these assertions in a memorandum presented to the House of Representatives Committee on Constitutional Review, a copy of which was acquired by reporters in Abuja.
The document was endorsed by the organization’s convener, Benson Sunday.
ONOL expressed its endorsement of a proposed bill aimed at defining torture, inhumane, and degrading treatment within the Constitution but contended that the initiative would not fulfill its objectives unless Sections 275 to 279, which establish the Sharia legal framework, are also addressed.
According to the organization, while Section 34(1)(a) of the Constitution prohibits torture and degrading treatment, other provisions permit Sharia courts in 12 northern states to impose penalties that it deems inconsistent with contemporary human rights standards.
READ ALSO:
TROOPS ELIMINATE TERRORISTS, ARREST 20 SUSPECTS IN NATIONWIDE OPERATIONS – ARMY
“These constitutional provisions provide legal cover for punishments that we believe amount to torture,” ONOL stated in its memorandum.
The organization further asserted that the constitutional endorsement of Sharia has contributed to an environment conducive to incidents of mob violence.
It referenced, among other instances, the immolation of a woman in Niger State in August 2025, the lynching of student Deborah Samuel in Sokoto in 2022, and the death sentence rendered against Yahaya Sharif-Aminu in Kano in 2020.
“The Sharia provisions not only enable severe punishments by courts but also fuel mob actions by ordinary citizens who feel empowered by them.
“We strongly believe that removing Sharia provisions from the Constitution will help reduce such killings and tortures across Nigeria,” the document asserted.
In addition to physical violence, ONOL posited that the presence of Sharia in the supreme law of the nation has generated psychological distress for non-Muslims and dissenting Muslims, resulting in feelings of exclusion, fear of persecution, and a diminished sense of national unity.
The memorandum also highlighted what the organization characterized as a religious imbalance within the Constitution.
It observed that the terms ‘Sharia,’ ‘Grand Kadi,’ ‘Islam,’ and ‘Muslims’ are cited 165 times, whereas Christianity, the Bible, or Churches are absent.
“This practical adoption of Islam as a state religion violates Section 10 of the Constitution, which prohibits such a designation,” ONOL contended, describing the imbalance as an institutional ‘prejudice’ against other faiths.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0