U.S. Lawmakers Urged to Demand End to Sharia Law & Hisbah Enforcement in Nigeria, Citing State-Level Religious Persecution and Extremist Exploitation
Lawmakers Briefed on Religious Violence, Urged to Act Against Extremist Exploitation of Nigerian Religious Laws
In a unified response to Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern, the United States Congress on Tuesday moved toward pressuring President Bola Tinubu’s administration to abolish Sharia law in twelve northern states and disband state-level Hisbah religious police commissions.
The push follows expert testimony warning that Nigeria’s state-enforced religious frameworks are fueling systematic anti-Christian persecution and enabling extremist groups, including Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and radicalized Fulani militants.
Dr. Ebenezer Obadare, Senior Fellow for Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, testified during a joint House briefing that these extremist actors exploit Sharia legal structures and Hisbah officials to impose extremist ideology, enforce forced conversions, and operate with widespread impunity.
Obadare outlined a two-part U.S. policy strategy: first, enhanced cooperation with the Nigerian military to neutralize Boko Haram and ISWAP; second, sustained diplomatic pressure on President Tinubu to constitutionally invalidate Sharia law in northern states and disband all state-backed Hisbah enforcement bodies.
“The policy goal should be two-fold: first, work with the Nigerian military to neutralize Boko Haram,” Obadare stated in remarks reflected by the House Appropriations Committee. “Second, the United States should put pressure on President Tinubu to (1) make Sharia law unconstitutional in the twelve northern states where it has been adopted since 2000 and (2) disband the various Hisbah groups across northern states seeking to enforce and impose Islamic law on all citizens regardless of their religious identity.”
The congressional briefing was convened in response to an October directive under the previous U.S. administration that designated Nigeria for severe religious freedom violations. Lawmakers from both parties have since expressed concern over Nigeria’s enforcement of religious laws in multireligious regions and the role of such laws in perpetuating violence and discrimination.
If adopted, the proposed measures would mark a significant shift in U.S.-Nigeria relations, directly challenging the legal autonomy of northern Nigerian states and calling into question the future of Islamic law enforcement in a country divided along religious and regional lines.
The Tinubu administration has not yet issued an official response to the congressional developments.
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