Washington / Abuja — December 3, 2025 | Dalena Reporters
At a joint briefing convened Tuesday by the U.S. House Appropriations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, African-policy expert Ebenezer Obadare called on the United States to leverage its diplomatic influence to urge the Nigerian government to abolish Sharia law in the 12 northern states where it is currently enforced and to disband the region’s religious-enforcement bodies known as Hisbah.
Obadare warned lawmakers that extremist organisations including Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and radicalised Fulani militias exploit Sharia-based institutions and Hisbah operatives “to advance extremist ideology, enforce forced conversions, and operate unchecked in many communities.
He argued that the coexistence of religious law and secular governance poses a systemic risk to Nigeria’s pluralistic social fabric and undermines the secular constitutional order. As a corrective, he proposed a two-pronged strategy: first, intensify joint efforts with the Nigerian military to neutralise violent extremist groups; second, encourage legislative reforms that would remove Sharia legal frameworks and dissolve all religious-enforcement agencies.
The call reflects mounting concern among international human-rights and religious-freedom advocates, who point to repeated incidents of harassment, intimidation, and violence under religious-policing regimes in the North.
During the hearing, U.S. lawmakers emphasised that defending religious liberty abroad is a key dimension of U.S. foreign-policy priorities. “No one should live in fear because of how they worship,” said one subcommittee chair.
As of now, the Nigerian government has not formally responded to the proposal. But the issue has already stirred controversy: some domestic religious-affairs bodies have pushed back, arguing that Sharia courts and Hisbah boards are part of Nigeria’s complex legal pluralism and reject characterisations that frame them as sources of systemic abuse.
The outcome whether Washington’s pressure leads to meaningful reform, or whether Nigeria rejects external interference could significantly shape the country’s social and legal trajectory during an already turbulent period.