U.S. Lawmakers Urged to Pressure Nigeria to Scrap Sharia Law and Hisbah in Northern States
Calls for U.S. Pressure on Nigeria’s Religious Legal Systems
At a joint briefing convened by the U.S. House Appropriations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, American lawmakers were urged to pressure the Nigerian government to abolish Sharia law across the 12 northern states where it has been implemented since 2000. Experts also called for the dismantling of the Hisbah religious-enforcement commissions, warning that both structures are worsening anti-Christian persecution and enabling extremist violence.
Obadare Highlights Role of Extremist Groups
Dr. Ebenezer Obadare, Senior Fellow for Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, told lawmakers that extremist groups—including Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and radicalised Fulani militias—are using Sharia-based institutions to expand their influence.
According to him, these groups “weaponise Sharia-based institutions and Hisbah operatives to advance extremist ideology, enforce forced conversions, and operate unchecked in many communities.”
Policy Recommendations Presented to U.S. Congress
A statement from the Appropriations Committee outlined Obadare’s two-pronged recommendation to Washington:
Step 1: Support Nigeria’s Military Campaign
He urged continued cooperation with the Nigerian military to neutralise Boko Haram and degrade its operational capacity.
Step 2: Pressure Tinubu to End Sharia Implementation
The second recommendation calls for the U.S. government to:
Pressure President Bola Tinubu to declare Sharia law unconstitutional in the 12 northern states.
Support efforts to disband Hisbah groups that enforce Islamic law on citizens regardless of their religious identity.
Obadare stressed that “the Nigerian authorities are not impervious to incentives,” referencing recent actions taken in response to international pressure, including:
Air strikes on Boko Haram positions
Recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers
President Tinubu’s declaration of a national security emergency
Congressional Concerns Over Religious Persecution
The bipartisan briefing, chaired by Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), featured testimony alleging state complicity in what some lawmakers described as “religious cleansing” in parts of northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt.
Witnesses highlighted:
The abduction of pupils and teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State
A rising pattern of blasphemy prosecutions
Continued mass killings linked to extremist violence
These cases were presented as evidence of deteriorating religious freedom and security conditions.
Jihadist Terror Identified as Nigeria’s Greatest Threat
Obadare concluded by warning that jihadist terror remains the most serious threat to Nigeria’s stability.
He stated that any credible solution must prioritise the military dismantling of Boko Haram, adding:
“Every proposal to solve the Nigerian crisis that does not take seriously the need to radically degrade and ultimately eliminate Boko Haram as a fighting force is a non-starter.”
