REPLACEMENT OF COMMON LAW WITH SHARIA LAW IN NIGERIA

By Benjamin Ibegbulam (Abia Writers)

Edited by Chidi Aloysius Nwosu

Sharia law is an Arabic religion’s principles, which forms part of Islamic culture. It is practised in several Muslim countries around the world today. This widely practised legal system across the globe is divided into three categories namely; classic sharia legal system, secular legal system and mixed system. Countries that practice this sharia system has different level of official status and various degrees of influence on their legal systems and these countries include Sudan, Egypt, Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Maldives, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirate, part of Indonesia, Malaysia, part of Nigeria and others.

The low level of social and moral standards in a country like Nigeria over the years cannot meet the need of everyone, thereby creating the urge to steal and commit other crimes that could result to corporal punishment that is recorded under the penal code of sharia law. In civilized countries like the United States, various states have banned sharia law or have passed a kind of rules that will make it difficult if not impossible to implement sharia law because of it’s corporal punishment.

Nigeria is a symbol of forced unity; the country was formed with the amalgamation of nations of different value systems with diverse heritage by the British government. Biafra nation in Nigeria is Judeo/Christian that practice distinct value system and culture unlike the Hausa/Fulani that are predominantly Muslims and the Oduduwa, that is part Christians and part Muslims.

Common law has been the system of Nigerian Judiciary. However, laws in the country have been influenced by the Muslim caliphate that runs the country hand in hand with the presidency. The rule of law in the Nigerian constitution as a democratic country is on the verge of oblivion. It has been continuously eroded and substituted with sharia law. Most recently, the caliphate and the core Islamic cabal have used the office of the late president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, which is being run by the Impostor, Jubril Al’ Sudani to appoint over 50 sharia law judges to be heads of different levels of the judiciary across the country. 

Appointment of these sharia law judges into the Nigerian court contradicts the law of the federal republic of Nigeria. The compatibility of sharia and common law is zero and cannot be mixed especially in a country like Nigeria that has a low level of moral standards, divergent and different value systems. This has rendered the rule of law impotent and has made a mess of both home and international laws most especially the UN Charter that uphold the self-determination of indigenous people.