Sharia : Northern groups condemn Trump’s sanctions threat, call it ‘assault on Islam’

Several northern Nigerian organisations have rejected United States’ President Donald Trump’s recent warning to impose sanctions on those supporting the implementation of Sharia law in Nigeria.

Trump’s comments reignited debate in Washington, where a number of American lawmakers and human-rights advocates have been pressing for stronger measures, including efforts to dismantle the Sharia legal framework operating in parts of northern Nigeria.

In September, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, arguing that Nigerian officials who back or enforce Sharia and blasphemy laws should face punitive measures. He maintained that Nigeria ought to be treated as a “country of particular concern.”

U.S.-based advocacy groups such as Alliance Defending Freedom and Advancing American Freedom have also petitioned the U.S. State Department to sanction Nigeria for alleged violations of religious freedom. They cited reports indicating that “12 state governments enforce Sharia law, including blasphemy laws.” Similar appeals have been made targeting governors and officials from those 12 northern states.

As of 2025, Sharia law is officially implemented—at varying levels—in Zamfara, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Jigawa, Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, and Gombe states, while Kaduna and Niger apply it only partially.

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Cruz, while applauding Trump for redesignating Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” urged the administration to impose visa bans, asset freezes, and other restrictions against state governments and officials, which he said would pressure them to end what he called “mass murder” in Nigeria.

But the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) have condemned the proposal, describing it as “a direct assault on Islam” and insisting that the region will not bow to external pressure from Washington.

Sharia, first introduced in Zamfara State during the tenure of Governor Ahmed Sani Yerima, is derived from the Qur’an, the Hadith, and Islamic jurisprudence. Initially governing personal matters such as marriage, inheritance, and morality, it has in some states expanded into the criminal justice system and even serves as a penal code.

NEF spokesperson, Prof. Abubakar Jiddere, dismissed Trump’s threat as baseless and accused him of “arrogance” over his remarks on alleged killings of Christians in Nigeria.

“The Northern Elders Forum has frowned, seriously frowned at this threat, which to me, as far as I’m concerned, is an empty threat. Because even in the U.S., it has not gone through the normal process. It’s just Trump’s personal arrogance that he made this statement,” he told our correspondent in a phone call on Thursday.

Jiddere also maintained there was no genocide in the North, stressing that both Muslims and Christians face the same security challenges. He further alleged that Washington’s position was driven by discomfort over Nigeria’s growing economic ties with China.

Similarly, CNG National Coordinator, Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, warned that the sanctions could fuel anti-Western sentiment and deepen public mistrust. He emphasised that Sharia represents more than a legal code—it embodies the faith and identity of most northern communities.

“For the majority of these states, Sharia is not just law, but an identity–deeply tied to faith, culture, and local legitimacy. Any northern governor who attempts to halt or weaken Sharia enforcement would face intense backlash from religious scholars, traditional institutions, and the general public, who see Sharia as divine, not negotiable,” he stated.

(PUNCH)