“Sultan Raises Alarm Over Muslim Rights in Southwest, Calls for Shariah Courts”
The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has voiced his strong support for the creation of an Independent Shariah Arbitration Panel in Ekiti and Oyo States. This comes amid growing concerns about the marginalization of Muslims in the southern part of Nigeria, particularly in the Southwest, where they face increasing intolerance and denial of their constitutional rights.
In a statement released on Wednesday by Imam Haroun Eze, the Deputy National Legal Adviser of NSCIA, the Sultan expressed frustration over the resistance from political and traditional leaders to the establishment of the Shariah Arbitration Panel in Ekiti. He pointed out that this opposition follows the controversy surrounding the planned inauguration of a similar panel in Oyo State, which was indefinitely postponed after causing unnecessary anxiety.
The Sultan emphasized that the Independent Shariah Arbitration Panel, which is designed for voluntary civil and marital dispute resolution among consenting Muslims, aims to address the lack of Shariah Courts in the region. Despite the large Muslim population in the Southwest, no state in the region has established a Shariah Court of Appeal, which is constitutionally allowed under Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution.
The monarch also highlighted the ongoing denial of rights for Muslim women, such as the refusal to allow female students to wear the Hijab in schools, despite a ruling by the Supreme Court in their favor. He labeled such actions as deliberate attempts to hinder Muslims from practicing their faith freely.
The Sultan further clarified that both the Arbitration Panel and the Shariah Court of Appeal, like the Customary Court of Appeal, are legitimate provisions within Nigeria’s Constitution, referencing Section 275 to support their legality.
NSCIA reiterated its firm backing for the establishment of the Shariah Arbitration Panels in both Ekiti and Oyo States, calling for a solution to the gap created by the political elites’ failure to implement Shariah Courts in the Southwest. The Sultan urged the governors and traditional authorities in the southern states, particularly in the Southwest, to ensure that Muslims’ constitutional rights are protected and upheld. “Just as others are allowed to live according to their faith, Muslims should also be given the same freedom,” he concluded.
