Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has picked holes in the recent comments by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, for daring to say that the implementation of Shari’ah law in the northern Nigeria is responsible for the unprecedented violence rather he should blame it on bad governance.
AbdurRahman Hassan, the Kaduna state secretary to SCSN, described Kukah’s position as a “misconception that ignores both history and fact,” insisting that Shari’ah is neither a political weapon nor an instrument of violence, but a system of moral discipline and justice deeply rooted in Muslim faith and tradition.
According to the SCSN, when properly applied with due process and oversight, Shari’ah promotes justice, order, and social harmony. It argued that most conflicts in the region are by-products of corruption, bad governance, and inequality, not religion.
The Council reiterated that Muslims in northern Nigeria had practised Shari’ah for centuries before colonial rule, stressing that it remains a way of life for millions who follow it peacefully and voluntarily. “To dismiss or ridicule it is to disregard the culture and identity of an entire people who have shown tolerance toward their Christian neighbours,” it said.
SCSN also reminded religious leaders that respect must be mutual, stressing that “no responsible Muslim scholar attacks Canon Law; likewise, no Christian cleric should insult Shari’ah.” It said Nigeria’s federal system accommodates multiple legal traditions, showing that diversity need not lead to division.
The Council challenged Bishop Kukah to propose how Canon Law could be formally practised in Christian-majority states if he believes in equity and fairness. “Such a proposal would reveal whether the objection to Shari’ah stems from principle or prejudice.”
It further stated that the true test of any legal system, religious or secular, lies in its ability to protect rights, promote justice, and foster peace—objectives which, it said, Shari’ah seeks to achieve when rightly understood.
SCSN, therefore, urged all clerics to exercise restraint when speaking on sensitive national matters, calling on religious leaders to be agents of peace and unity. “Let us focus on building a just Nigeria where every faith is respected and no community feels targeted for practicing its belief,” the statement read.