Group rejects call for Sharia in southern Nigeria

The Southern Solidarity Alliance has rejected the call for the establishment of Sharia law in the South-West or any other southern part of Nigeria.

In a statement issued by its National Coordinator, Ndubuisi Okafor, on Friday, the group described the purported plan to Sharia to the south as “shocking, unacceptable, and a big slap” on the region.

The group argued that the establishment of Sharia law in southern Nigeria contradicted Nigeria’s secular status and undermined the religious diversity and cosmopolitan nature of the South.

“The South is cosmopolitan and welcomes all religions, and there is no superiority of one over the other for the laws of one to prevail over the rest.

“Nigeria is a secular state, yet the Islamic establishment continues to push for religious laws that do not align with the existing constitutional framework,” the statement said.

The SSA questioned why there was an apparent push for Sharia in the South when even some northern states, where Islam is more widely practised, had not fully adopted the legal system.

It alleged that the move could be part of a broader agenda tied to political and expansionist motives.

“Is this a continuation of the failed mission of enforcing Islam through Fulani expansionism and imperialism down to the Atlantic Ocean? Or is it a test of the benefit of a joint Muslim ticket at the presidency?” the statement queried.

The group criticised northern leaders for focusing on issues such as Sharia establishment rather than tackling pressing challenges like poverty, insecurity, and illiteracy in the region.

It called on southern leaders, traditional rulers, and state governors to be vigilant and resist any attempts to impose religious laws that contradict the region’s cultural and legal framework.

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