A human rights organisation under the aegis of the End Sharia Now Campaign has recommended the urgent removal of all Islamic references from 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to reflect the nation’s secularity.
The organisation said since Nigeria is a secular state, the country cannot accept a constitution that gives legal recognition to any religion—Christianity, Islam, or otherwise. The Convener of End Sharia Now Campaign, Benson Sunday, in a statement titled, “Nigeria Is A Secular State — End Sharia In Nigerian Constitution Now!” believes that the constitutional entrenchment of Islamic legal systems in Sections of the document contradicts Section 10, which, he said, expressly prohibits the adoption of any religion as state religion.
Mr. Benson also noted that Section 10 also makes a clear declaration: The Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion. Despite the constitutional promise of religious neutrality, our current Constitution is heavily infused with Islamic elements—terms, institutions, and legal provisions that contradict our secular national identity and directly empower 12 Northern states to operate a parallel Islamic legal system.
“This is not merely a contradiction; it is a constitutional crisis. Our investigation and analysis of the Nigerian Constitution reveal the following shocking statistics: The term Sharia appears 73 times; Islam appears 28 times;
The End Sharia Now Campaign demands the immediate removal of all Islamic/Sharia references and institutions from the 1999 Constitution, including: Sections 260–264 (Sharia Court of Appeal – Federal); Sections 275–279 (Sharia Court of Appeal – State); provisions establishing the office of the Grand Khadi and Sharia judicial authority; abolition of any law or court that gives legal authority to any religious belief over citizens; the reaffirmation and enforcement of Section 10 of the Constitution—banning any form of religious governance at federal or state levels.