Twelve states in Northern Nigeria have adopted Sharia Law. These states—Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara—share borders with Plateau, Benue, Kogi, and Kwara States. Interestingly, it is within this cluster of sixteen states that lawlessness and religious violence appear most pronounced.
Perhaps it is time for Nigeria to conduct a plebiscite focused on these regions, to assess public opinion regarding the introduction of Sharia Law and its apparent link to rising religious intolerance. The nation must begin to confront a fundamental question: Do we want to remain in a country where Sharia Law is dominant, or do we want to live in a secular country that protects religious freedom?
For peace-loving moderate Muslims, practitioners of traditional African religions, and their Christian neighbors to coexist peacefully, the Indian option of 1947 seems increasingly relevant. As Mohammed Ali Jinnah declared in 1946–1947, “Where there is a Muslim majority in India, let that be a separate Muslim country called Pakistan.” This decision, though accompanied by great bloodshed, led to the formation of East and West Pakistan alongside Hindu-majority India. Today, all three nations—Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan—exist separately and continue to make progress in their respective ways.
The Indian example of 1946–1947 might be worth considering for Nigeria if the goal is to achieve lasting peace, prosperity, and stability.
A more recent comparison can also be drawn from Sudan and South Sudan. After decades of conflict fueled by religious intolerance, particularly following President Gaafar Nimeiry’s introduction of Sharia Law in 1983, the country eventually split in 2011. South Sudan became an independent, predominantly Christian nation, ending 55 years of unrest. Ironically, after the separation, Sudan itself renounced Sharia Law and returned to secular governance in 2020—though only after immense and avoidable suffering.
Looking back, one clear conclusion emerges: religious intolerance under Sharia Law has only two solutions—either the renunciation of Sharia or the dissolution of the state into separate entities. This would allow those who wish to live under Sharia Law to do so freely, while others who prefer secularism can maintain a separate, secular nation.
Expecting both systems to coexist peacefully within the same political entity is self-deception. For Nigeria to experience true peace, either Sharia Law must be repealed in the twelve northern states, or those who prefer secularism—whether within or outside those states—should be allowed to form or join a non-Sharia region of Nigeria.
