An Igbo advocacy group, Ndigbo Worldwide Union, has endorsed calls by some United States (US) lawmakers urging Nigeria to remove Sharia and blasphemy provisions from its Constitution.
Arguing that a modern nation cannot successfully operate dual legal systems, the Igbo group, in a statement jointly signed by its President, Benjamin I. Nwankwo, and Secretary, Chief Charles Edemuzo, said opposition to the US recommendation reflects “official hypocrisy” and contributes to recurring violence associated with Sharia implementation in parts of northern Nigeria.
The union commended US lawmaker Riley Moore for raising the issue, describing the move as overdue and necessary to curb preventable unrest.
The group further argued that constitutional recognition of Sharia, alongside Nigeria’s membership of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, has created what it called a structural imbalance that undermines national unity.
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It urged northern political leaders to make a definitive choice between adopting a uniform legal framework for all citizens or pursuing a distinct Islamic political arrangement.
“The time for ambiguity is over,” the statement said. “A country cannot claim to operate a common-law system while simultaneously running a full religious criminal code. Two legal systems cannot coexist in a serious nation
“Pretending otherwise is denial,” it said.
Describing the current situation as untenable, the union warned that the Sharia controversy has brought the country to a decisive moment, where the options are either constitutional reform through a referendum or potential fragmentation along unresolved fault lines.
Citing incidents such as the killing of Deborah Samuel and the continued captivity of Leah Sharibu, the group said these cases highlight the risks posed by religious extremism and legal disparities.
“The National Assembly is at its moment of truth,” the group said. “Remove Sharia from the Constitution and preserve peace, or ignore the warning signs and preside over a national rupture. There is no middle ground”, the statement warned.
“Nigeria has a choice. The clock is ticking, and history will remember who acted—and who failed”, it added.
