VIDEO: Nigeria Is Not An Islamic State – Reps Rejects Sharia Law Expansion In Nigeria

The House of Representatives has rejected a bill seeking to expand Islamic law in the 1999 constitution.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Aliyu Missau, aimed to remove the word “personal” from sections 24, 262, 277, and 288 of the constitution, where “Islamic law” is mentioned.

This change would have allowed Islamic law to apply beyond personal matters, potentially broadening its implications.

During the debate, lawmakers were divided along regional lines, with northerners generally supporting the bill and southerners opposing it.

Those in favor, like AbdulHakeem Ado from Kano, argued that Islamic commercial law needs to be sustained.

On the other hand, opponents like Solomon Bob from Rivers and Bamidele Salam from Osun, emphasized that removing “personal” would have broader implications than intended by the constitution’s framers, and that Nigeria’s secular nature demands restricting religious issues to personal preference.

The bill’s rejection came after a voice vote by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu. This development highlights the sensitivity and contentious nature of religious issues in Nigeria’s constitutional debates.

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