Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Enugu
The executive and the legislative arms of the Nigerian government have been urged to take concrete steps to end the ambiguity created by the existence of the Sharia Criminal Law in some northern states alongside the Common law.
A socio-political advocacy, Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union (NIWU) made the call in statement issued in response to the pushback by Nigeria’s Islamic leaders over the suggestion that Sharia Law should be scrapped.
A U.S. Congressional report on the Christian persecution in Nigeria had recommended that the Islamic Sharia Law which is operational in some northern states should be abolished and replaced with the Common Law .
The Committee reasoned that the existence of sharia codes and “blasphemy laws in Nigeria’s northern states are used to silence speech and dissent, target Christians and minorities, and justify so-called ‘convictions’ without due process.”
Though this suggestion was totally rejected by Nigeria’s Muslim leaders, Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union noted that the backlash “exposes a bitter truth—the Nigerian state, in its current configuration, is no longer sustainable.”
In the statement signed by its President, Benjamin Nwankwo, and Secretary, Chief Charles Edemuzo, the NIWU argued that since Sharia is enshrined in Nigeria’s Constitution and, as a ranking member of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), the country “cannot simply erase (Sharia) overnight.”
“Any proposal to impose a uniform Common Law system without first dismantling the 1999 constitution is a non-starter,” NIWU said, adding that “those pretending otherwise are living in denial.”
According to the group, “two legal codes cannot coexist in a serious, modern nation. Nigeria cannot continue to pretend that a ‘common law’ society can function alongside a full-blown religious legal system.”
To resolve the nagging Sharia crisis, NIWU said that “Northern leaders must make a choice: either fully embrace an egalitarian Common Law society where all Nigerians are equal under the law or be allowed to exist as an exclusive Islamic enclave.”
The group stated that if northern leaders choose to have Islamic enclave, it would become a legitimate, sovereign, and separate country, much like the United Arab Emirates.
NIWU, which prides itself in defending the rights, safety, and future of the Igbo nation, insisted that it has become obvious that “the status quo (coexistence of Sharia and Common law) is dead.”
“The Sharia crisis proves that Nigeria cannot survive as a single, unified state under its current arrangement.
“The nation now faces two stark outcomes: a peaceful referendum establishing a safe-haven in the East for persecuted Judeo-Christian citizens, or violence and inevitable fragmentation—a reality no one desires but which history will enforce if the government continues to ignore the structural fault lines,” NIWU said.
It stated that in the event of emergence of an Islamic enclave in Northern Nigeria the3e would be a solution to the inescapable consequences of persecution on non-Muslims.
However, NIWU pointed out that “history offers clear lessons” and as “England once guaranteed sanctuary for Protestants fleeing Catholic persecution in France. Biafra can serve as a modern-day sanctuary for all citizens fleeing oppression in Northern Nigeria.”
The group called on the National Assembly to stand by this moment of truth, saying that “lawmakers can either remove Sharia from the Constitution and preserve peace, or they can ignore the writing on the wall and preside over a fracture of the Nigerian state.”
“There is no middle ground. Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union makes no apology for this frankness. As the Nigeria Jihadists make no apology for the public lynching of a college student- Deborah Samuel, the kidnapping and forcible slavery of Leah Sharibu, till date and several others.
“The safety, survival, and future of Ndi Igbo and all persecuted Nigerians demand clarity. Any attempts to maintain the current imbalance will be recorded as deliberate negligence, with consequences that the architects of such inaction must face,” the group said.
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