Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
An Igbo socio-political group, Ndigbo Worldwide Union, has warned that Nigeria is approaching a dangerous tipping point, insisting that the coexistence of Sharia and common law is unsustainable in any modern state.
The group made the assertion while endorsing the call by United States lawmakers for Nigeria to remove Sharia and blasphemy provisions from its Constitution.
In a statement signed by its President, Benjamin I. Nwankwo, and Secretary, Chief Charles Edemuzo, the union said opposition to the recommendation merely exposes what it described as the “moral and legal contradiction” at the heart of the Nigerian state.
It singled out Riley Moore for praise, describing his position as courageous and timely.
“You cannot operate a secular constitution and at the same time enforce a religious criminal code,” the group said.
“That contradiction is the source of recurring violence and instability. Two legal systems cannot coexist in one serious country.”
The union argued that Nigeria’s retention of Sharia, alongside its membership in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, has deepened national divisions and undermined the principle of equality before the law.
According to the group, the Sharia controversy has forced the country into a moment of reckoning, urging Northern leaders to make a definitive choice between a uniform common-law system and an openly separate Islamic political arrangement.
“The era of pretending is over,” the statement said.
“The current structure is no longer sustainable.”
Citing the lynching of Deborah Samuel and the prolonged captivity of Leah Sharibu, the group said religious extremism, backed by legal ambiguity, continues to endanger innocent lives.
It warned that failure to address the issue could leave Nigeria with only two outcomes: decisive constitutional reform or gradual disintegration driven by unresolved fault lines.
“The National Assembly must choose,” the group declared.
“Remove Sharia from the Constitution and save the country, or ignore the warnings and preside over a historic collapse. History will not be kind to those who looked away.”
