People of the Southwest region of Nigeria have slammed the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, for pushing for the establishment of Sharia panel in states in their region despite their objection.

On Wednesday, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), led by the Sultan, said it was displeased with the “unwarranted resistance and objections from both political and traditional quarters” to efforts of the Muslim community to set up an Independent Shariah Panel in Ekiti State.

This was after the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, on Saturday, ordered the dissolution of the Sharia panel set up in the state.


- Southwest leaders kick out Sharia -

The monarch was supported by the Ekiti State Government which denied the existence of either the Sharia Court or the proposed Independent Sharia Arbitration Panel in the state.

In a statement made available to MyNigeria on Thursday, the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Dayo Apata (SAN), said that the Independent Sharia Arbitration Panel is not in the judicial structure of the State, noting that “Arbitration and/or Mediation issue is a Quasi-Judicial matters which are regulated by Law” in the State.

Apata said there is existing legal structure in Ekiti State (i.e. Customary Court, Customary Court of Appeal and High Court) that has been handling issues relating to Islamic, Christian and Traditional Marriages and inheritance without any rancour or agitation.

Similarly, the Ogun State Government, led by Governor Dapo Abiodun, asserted that the state’s legal framework does not recognise Sharia Court, adding that only courts recognized by the Nigerian constitution are allowed in the state.

Earlier, the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, kicked against the establishment of a Sharia panel in the state, saying no law in the state backs it.


- Sharia is political Islam -

Following the rejection of Sharia in Oyo, many Yoruba groups home and abroad staged conferences and protests to kick against the move to introduce what they described as an alien practice.

According to the groups, which also included the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Sharia is a tactics of political Islam and a means for Fulani political elites in the north to grab the Southwest for themselves, just as they subjugated the Hausa people of the north using religion.

They claim the Fulanis are trying to cause division among Yoruba people who live peacefully and in harmony despite having different religious beliefs.

They also described Sharia as barbaric because it leads to amputation and subjugation of cultures, adding that those who love the law should move to a region where it is practiced.


- NSCIA slams Southwest leaders -

Reacting, the Deputy National Legal Adviser, NSCIA, Imam Haroun Muhammad Eze, lamented the high spate of intolerance and disregard for the rights of Muslims, especially in the southern part of the country.

He said the Independent Arbitration Panel, which is a voluntary platform designed solely for the resolution of civil and marital disputes among consenting Muslims, was to fill the inexplicable vacuum created by the failure of the political elite in South-Western Nigeria to establish Shariah Courts, as allowed by the Nigerian Constitution, in South-Western states, despite the huge population of Muslims in the region.

“This and other cases, such as the denial of the rights of female students to wear the Hijab despite a Supreme Court judgement, are nothing but calculated attempts to prevent Muslims in the region from practicing their faith,” he said.

Eze said the NSCIA strongly supports the establishment of Independent Shariah Arbitration Panel in Ekiti and Oyo states for the purpose so intended, especially where the Muslims in the states have been denied their constitutional right to a Shariah Court of Appeal in all the states of the South-Western Nigeria.

“The Council cannot find any legal justification for the unnecessary alarm and unwarranted resistance. All the states in the North have Shariah Courts and some, in addition, have Customary Courts,” he said.

This was as he urged the governors and traditional authorities in the southern part of the country, particularly the South-West, to ensure that the constitutional rights of Muslims in their respective domains are preserved and protected. While others are allowed to live, Muslims should also be let live.”


- Southwest youths slam Sultan of Sokoto -

The statement issued by the Sultan of Sokoto- led NSCIA didn't go unnoticed by Yoruba youths

One X user, @EbiriGbonka, said, "And now the Sultan of Sokoto suddenly finds his voice.

"Our fathers coined a concept in the 1800’s called Mesu-Jamba…. They used this term to describe how Sokoto caliphate incite Yoruba Muslims against their brothers… fuel events that led to many brutal wars and positioned themselves to expand into the interiors of Yorubaland while brothers were distracted fighting each other.

"This is what you see the self appointed custodians of Islam warming up to do again in our time…

"The Sultan is concerned about Yoruba Muslims…. Same way his direct ancestor…. Usman Dan Fodio was concerned about Hausa Muslims before the Jihad that turned the same Hausa people to the slaves they are in their ancestral home till this very day.

"He was not concerned when herdsmen invaded Igangan and killed a lot of Muslims in an ethnic cleansing.

"He is not concerned about the Fulani herdsmen currently terrorizing Hausa farmers who are also Muslims in his state

"He is not concerned about the millions of almajiri on his streets at Sokoto. Homeless Muslim beggars.

"They want to continue where their fathers stopped…. Inciting Yoruba Muslims against their brothers like they did at Ilorin in the 1800’s…. And while they fight each other, they position themselves to take over the lands their ancestors have been obsessed for since the days of Usman Dan Fodio."

On his part, @de_generalnoni said, "Dear Sultan of Sokoto, I respect kings and traditional rulers. South West is South West… No one made you Yoruba spokesperson to tell us what we want in Yoruba land!

"There will never be Shariah law in Yoruba land and it will never happen. We will never allow extremism in Yoruba land… We are united and we are one in Yoruba land. No religion can come between us!"

@omolisabi1 said, The level of madness going on in this country Ehn, the sultan of sokoto is either sniffing gum or taking hard drugs (allegedly) because how will a norther aboki come to tell us what to do in the west is that not madness Ehn? I think the sultan is suffering from psychosis. Ire oo."

@funshographix said, "E know go better for Sultan of Sokoto for that letter them help him write & the people way write the letter for him."