The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), an Islamic human rights organization, has called for significant constitutional amendments aimed at establishing Sharia courts across all South West states in Nigeria.
During a recent South West Zonal Public Hearing on constitutional review, the group’s Founder and Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, represented by Dr. Jamiu Busari, urged the Senate Committee to consider these proposals as a way to enhance inclusivity and protect the rights of Muslims in the region.
Akintola highlighted the absence of Sharia courts in Southwestern Nigeria, where Muslims constitute a majority, arguing that this is a departure from the pre-colonial Yoruba practices before British colonial rule. He emphasized the need for the establishment of Sharia courts in all Southwestern states, including Edo, to cater to the Muslim population. Additionally, he called for constitutional provisions that would require state governors to set up Sharia Courts of Appeal, which would exclusively handle Muslim matters, ensuring that non-Muslims would not be impacted.
Moreover, Akintola advocated for Fridays to be declared public holidays to accommodate Muslim worship practices, claiming that the current weekend structure—recognizing Saturday and Sunday—discriminates against Muslims. He argued that this arrangement, imposed during colonial times, creates a lack of religious balance in Nigeria’s public holiday system, which currently favors Christian observances.
The proposal also included recognizing Islamic marriage certificates for official purposes, as the existing legal framework accepts only Christian marriages conducted in churches or registries. Akintola pointed out the discrimination faced by Muslim couples whose Nikkah marriages are not recognized, calling for equal legal recognition of Islamic marriages.
The Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria supported these calls for judicial reforms, including the establishment of specialized courts for Islamic finance to facilitate Muslim economic practices. In response, Deputy Senate President Sen. Jubrin Barau assured that all demands would be thoroughly reviewed and reported back to the National Assembly.
This push for Sharia law and the subsequent changes proposed by the Muslim Rights Concern reflect a growing desire among some Muslim groups in Nigeria to institutionalize practices that align with their religious beliefs, raising questions about the implications for Nigeria’s secular constitution and the rights of other religious groups.