Sharia debate returns as civil society weighs in on Constitution review

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – A civilian nine organisation, One Nation One Law (ONOL), has urged the National Assembly to reappraisal Sharia provisions successful the Nigerian Constitution, saying their inclusion undermines adjacent extortion of citizens and raises quality rights concerns.

The radical made the submissions successful its memorandum presented to the House of Representatives Committee connected Constitution Review, a transcript of which was obtained by journalists successful Abuja.

The papers was signed by the organisation’s convener, Benson Sunday.

ONOL expressed enactment for a measure seeking to specify torture, inhuman, and degrading attraction successful the Constitution but argued that the effort would not execute its intended goals unless Sections 275 to 279, which found the Sharia ineligible system, are besides addressed.

According to the group, portion Section 34(1)(a) of the Constitution prohibits torture and degrading treatment, different provisions let Sharia courts successful 12 bluish states to enforce punishments that it described arsenic inconsistent with modern quality rights standards.

“These law provisions supply ineligible screen for punishments that we judge magnitude to torture,” ONOL stated successful its memorandum.

The organisation further claimed that the law designation of Sharia has contributed to a clime successful which incidents of mob unit occur.

It cited, among different examples, the burning of a pistillate successful Niger State successful August 2025, the lynching of pupil Deborah Samuel successful Sokoto successful 2022, and the decease condemnation passed connected Yahaya Sharif-Aminu successful Kano successful 2020.

“The Sharia provisions not lone alteration terrible punishments by courts but besides substance mob actions by mean citizens who consciousness empowered by them.

“We powerfully judge that removing Sharia provisions from the Constitution volition assistance trim specified killings and tortures crossed Nigeria,” the papers noted

Beyond carnal violence, ONOL said the beingness of Sharia successful the ultimate instrumentality of the onshore has created intelligence strain for non-Muslims and dissenting Muslims, starring to feelings of exclusion, fearfulness of persecution, and weakened nationalist unity.

The memorandum besides flagged what the organisation described arsenic spiritual imbalance successful the Constitution.

It noted that the words ‘Sharia,’ ‘Grand Kadi,’ ‘Islam,’ and ‘Muslims’ are mentioned 165 times, portion Christianity, the Bible, oregon Churches are not mentioned.

“This applicable adoption of Islam arsenic a authorities religion violates Section 10 of the Constitution, which prohibits specified a designation,” ONOL argued, describing the imbalance arsenic an organization ‘bias’ against different faiths.

The station Sharia statement returns arsenic civilian nine weighs successful connected Constitution review appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.