Sharia debate returns as civil society weighs in on Constitution review

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – A civil society organisation, One Nation One Law (ONOL), has urged the National Assembly to review Sharia provisions in the Nigerian Constitution, saying their inclusion undermines equal protection of citizens and raises human rights concerns.

The group made the submissions in its memorandum presented to the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review, a copy of which was obtained by journalists in Abuja.

The document was signed by the organisation’s convener, Benson Sunday.

ONOL expressed support for a bill seeking to define torture, inhuman, and degrading treatment in the Constitution but argued that the effort would not achieve its intended goals unless Sections 275 to 279, which establish the Sharia legal system, are also addressed.

According to the group, while Section 34(1)(a) of the Constitution prohibits torture and degrading treatment, other provisions allow Sharia courts in 12 northern states to impose punishments that it described as inconsistent with modern human rights standards.

“These constitutional provisions provide legal cover for punishments that we believe amount to torture,” ONOL stated in its memorandum.

The organisation further claimed that the constitutional recognition of Sharia has contributed to a climate in which incidents of mob violence occur.

It cited, among other examples, the burning of a woman in Niger State in August 2025, the lynching of student Deborah Samuel in Sokoto in 2022, and the death sentence passed on Yahaya Sharif-Aminu in Kano in 2020.

“The Sharia provisions not only enable severe punishments by courts but also fuel mob actions by ordinary citizens who feel empowered by them.

“We strongly believe that removing Sharia provisions from the Constitution will help reduce such killings and tortures across Nigeria,” the document noted

Beyond physical violence, ONOL said the existence of Sharia in the supreme law of the land has created psychological strain for non-Muslims and dissenting Muslims, leading to feelings of exclusion, fear of persecution, and weakened national unity.

The memorandum also flagged what the organisation described as religious imbalance in the Constitution.

It noted that the words ‘Sharia,’ ‘Grand Kadi,’ ‘Islam,’ and ‘Muslims’ are mentioned 165 times, while Christianity, the Bible, or Churches are not mentioned.

“This practical adoption of Islam as a state religion violates Section 10 of the Constitution, which prohibits such a designation,” ONOL argued, describing the imbalance as an institutional ‘bias’ against other faiths.

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