A Yoruba socio-cultural group, ‘The Society for Yoruba Culture Renaissance’, has strongly opposed the establishment of Shari’ah arbitration panels in Oyo, Ekiti, and other southwestern states, describing the move as incompatible with Yoruba societal values.
In a press statement issued yesterday, the group stated that such legal structures are foreign to the region’s traditions and could disrupt the region’s long-standing tradition of peaceful co-existence among people of diverse religious beliefs.
The statement was issued in response to recent developments, including the first public sitting of the Independent Sharia Arbitration Panel in Ekiti State, which was held at the Oja Oba Central Mosque in Ado-Ekiti.
While the Ekiti State government clarified that the State’s legal framework does not recognize Shari’ah courts or arbitration panels, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, argued that such panels are constitutional under Section 275 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The group rejected the recent move, emphasising that the system is suited only for societies with an overwhelming Muslim majority.
The NSCIA had urged southern governors and traditional leaders to uphold the constitutional rights of Muslims to practice their faith freely, akin to other religious groups. However, the group countered that Sharia law is an Arabic cultural practice suited for societies with a predominantly Muslim population, which is not the case in ‘Yorubaland’.
The group accused the Sultan of Sokoto of attempting to incite religious tension in the southwest by advocating for Sharia law in the region. “Our attention has been drawn to the misguided press release by the Nigeria Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs. Since the pan-Yoruba group Afenifere has not responded to this divisive move, our group has taken it upon itself to address this disrespectful press release”, the statement read.
The Society for Yoruba Culture Renaissance stressed that Yorubaland has a rich history of cultural and traditional values that have fostered harmony among people of different faiths for over 300 years. “Our ‘Omoluabi’ ethos is sacrosanct, and has ensured peaceful co-existence in ‘Yorubaland’, unlike the frequent religious crises in Sokoto and other Shari’ah States in the North,” the group stated.
The group also rejected claims that Yoruba Muslims are marginalized, describing such allegations as false and aimed at undermining the region’s peace and further warned against attempts to impose Sharia law, which they argued has exacerbated suffering in northern states and contributed to the rise of extremist groups like Boko Haram.
