There is uproar in Northern Nigeria especially among Islamic clerics and leaders of thought against the recommendation by a committee of the United States (U.S.) Congress, which, among others, demanded the repeal of Sharia codes and anti-blasphemy laws in Nigeria.
Recommendations emerging from engagements within the United States Congress, contained in a joint report on “Christian persecution in Nigeria” submitted to the White House on Monday by the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Appropriations Committee, concerning security developments in Nigeria, included the disarmament of the Fulani herdsmen, and blocking export of beef and other cattle-related products to countries like Ivory Coast, Ghana, South Africa, and Senegal.
The committee had claimed in its report that, after decades of persecution, Nigeria is the deadliest place in the world to be a Christian, stressing that, “Christians are subject to ongoing violent attacks from well-armed Fulani militias and terrorist groups, resulting in the death and murder of tens of thousands of Christians, including pastors and priests, the destruction of thousands of churches and schools, as well as kidnappings.
“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.”
Responding to the development on Tuesday, Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Ahmad Gumi, defended the application of Shariah law in Nigeria. In a post shared on his verified social media page, the cleric argued that Muslims have the right to be governed by their religious injunctions.
“Shariah Law is the Muslims’ prerogative just as the US found it only necessary to protect the Christians,” he said.
He further stated that Muslims are victims of what he described as “occult terror” imported into the country by hidden forces.
“At the same time, Muslims are more victims of this occult terror imported into the country by hidden forces they very well know,” Gumi stated.
In another post, the cleric questioned what he termed a double standard in the global discourse on religion and governance.
“It’s ok for US evangelical Christians administration for Israel to live by biblical stories yet Haram for Muslims to live by the Quranic injunctions.
“Shariah law operates alongside conventional legal systems in several northern states, mainly in matters concerning personal and family law for Muslims,” he said.
Similarly, another Kadunabased Islamic cleric, Sheikh Halliru Maraya, told our reporter by phone last night that the issue is “sensitive and double-edged,” warning that it could either foster peace or deepen divisions in Nigeria.
He cautioned the US Congress against portraying the violence as targeting only one faith group. “Both Muslims and Christians are at the receiving end,” he said. “The perpetrators are not sparing one religion against the other—they kill everyone.”
Sheikh Maraya stressed that any US intervention must respect Nigeria’s sovereignty and align with its laws.
He cited Kaduna State as an example, noting that between 2015 and 2023, more than 4,000 people were killed by gunmen, most of them from Muslim dominated local communities such as Giwa and Igabi.
“If Congress had carried out a thorough and unbiased inquiry, they would have found that the carnage affects all faiths, including non-believers,” he argued.
He further pointed to Zamfara and Plateau states, where Muslims have also been victims of mass killings.
“In essence, I don’t believe a certain faith group is the only target, as the US is portraying it,” he said.
Instead of framing the crisis narrowly, Sheikh Maraya urged Washington to support Nigeria with intelligence sharing, equipment, training, and technical assistance to combat violence.
“That is the kind of help we need—help that is in line with our laws as a sovereign nation,” he added.
Meanwhile, former spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, described the U.S. Congress recommendation on Sharia in Nigeria as provocative.
Speaking with Daily Trust on the issue, Dr Hakeem said, “If reports that US Congressman Riley Moore has led his colleagues to present recommendations to the White House on escalation of punitive action against non-Christian Nigerians over alleged increasing incidents of genocide against Christians in our country are true, then it is time to take the nature of our current relationship with the US more seriously.
“Some of the additional measures being recommended include abolishing the Sharia legal system and abolishing criminal blasphemy laws, limiting Nigeria’s relations with Russia and China, identifying the Fulani as a hostile group and recommendations against them, which border on ethnic cleansing, and a host of other measures that will secure for the US a much stronger foothold in Nigeria and the Sahel.
“We already have agreements that allow US troops and equipment to operate in a number of locations in Nigeria. We have no idea how many more will come, and how long they will stay. Our leaders tell us this collaboration represents an agreed strategy to help Nigeria fight insecurity, but the US has insisted this is its response to an ongoing genocide against Nigerian Christians. Dozens of Nigerian Muslims and Christians die daily, right under the nose of US troops, its Mission in Nigeria and representatives of the global community.”
He said these proposals represent a dangerous escalation of the US’s opportunism in Nigeria and West Africa, lamenting that the manner in which they are framed is intended to weaken the government’s capacity to protect the country’s sovereignty and ability to fight insecurity.
“Recommendations on scrapping Sharia and criminal blasphemy laws are deliberately provocative, intended to reopen settled constitutional issues that are part of the fabric of our nation. There is no evidence that Christians exclusively are victims of killers and kidnappers.
“Proposals to bestow advantages exclusively on Nigerian Christians are crude attempts to dampen inter-faith relations. Only unforgivable ignorance or dangerous mischief will support any argument that Nigerian Christians can be isolated and protected at the expense of non-Christian Nigerians. We are a country designed to coexist and share in fortunes and setbacks”, Dr Hakeem said.
He called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to stand up to the Americans in defence of Nigeria.
“This is the time for President Tinubu to stand up to his responsibility as our leader. His government should tell the US in very clear terms that its involvement in our country’s affairs does not suggest that it is our friend.
“Some would see very clear attempts to balkanise the most populous African country, an attempt which will fail, but hurt Nigeria and Africa very badly.
“We demand greater clarity over the details of all agreements with the US government. We want to hear our leaders say to President Trump that Nigeria welcomes support on our terms, but will not submit our country and its future to more intense, prolonged crises which, as we speak, are being designed in Washington,” he said.