A coalition of civil rights and faith-based organisations has condemned renewed efforts to expand the implementation of Sharia law in Nigeria, describing it as a violation of the 1999 Constitution and a threat to national unity and human rights.
The coalition, operating under the banner End Sharia Now, includes groups such as One Nation One Law, Global Network of Christian Faith and Truth, and Love a Muslim Ministry. In a statement signed by Benson Sunday on Wednesday, the coalition said attempts to institutionalise Sharia beyond personal faith practices contradict the Constitution’s secular foundation.
Responding to comments from some Islamic scholars who argued that there was “no justification for opposing Sharia in Nigeria,” the coalition cited sections 10 and 42 of the 1999 Constitution, which prohibit the adoption of any state religion and guarantee equality of all citizens regardless of faith.
“The Constitution is supreme. Any other law inconsistent with it is void to the extent of its inconsistency,” the coalition said. “The adoption of Sharia penal codes in some northern states directly contravenes these provisions.”
The groups pointed to cases of mob justice, blasphemy killings, and corporal punishments in states applying Sharia penal laws as proof that such systems undermine human dignity and promote religious intolerance. They referenced the 2022 killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto and the recent mob execution of a woman accused of apostasy in Niger State as examples of how religious laws can fuel violence.
The coalition also voiced concern about reports suggesting Sharia expansion into parts of the South-West, noting that the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, reportedly supported the creation of Sharia arbitration panels in Oyo and Ekiti states.
According to the groups, while Muslims have the right to practise their religion, using state authority to enforce religious laws goes against Nigeria’s secular framework and breaches international human rights agreements, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
The coalition urged the National Assembly to reform the Constitution by limiting Sharia’s jurisdiction strictly to personal matters for consenting Muslims and to consider removing Sections 260–264 and 275–279, which establish Sharia Courts of Appeal at federal and state levels.
It also called for stronger human rights education, interfaith dialogue, and strict enforcement of secular principles in governance.
“Nigeria must remain a secular, democratic nation where all citizens—Muslim, Christian, or traditionalist—are equal before one constitution and one law,” the coalition declared. “Any attempt to impose Sharia as state law threatens not only human rights but the very survival of the Nigerian federation.”
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