US Lawmakers Pressed to Push Nigeria on Ending Sharia Law and Hisbah Commissions
- US lawmakers were urged to push Nigeria to abolish Sharia law and dismantle Hisbah commissions amid warnings of rising anti-Christian persecution
- Experts testified that extremist groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP were exploiting religious frameworks to impose ideology and violence with impunity
- The congressional briefing reflected growing consensus that reversing Sharia criminal law and disbanding Hisbah forces were essential to halt religious cleansing in northern Nigeria
United States lawmakers were urged on Tuesday to press the Nigerian government to abolish Sharia law in northern states and disband the Hisbah religious-enforcement commissions.
Experts warned that these laws and groups were fuelling systematic anti-Christian persecution.
Source: Getty Images
The appeal came during a joint House briefing held in response to US President Donald Trump’s October directive, which redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
Expert testimony on violence and extremism
Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Dr. Ebenezer Obadare testified that extremist groups such as Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and radicalised Fulani militants were exploiting Sharia frameworks and Hisbah officials to impose ideology, enforce forced conversions, and operate with near-total impunity.
Obadare outlined a two-fold strategy, stating, “The policy goal should be two-fold: first, work with the Nigerian military to neutralise Boko Haram. Second, the United States should put pressure on President Tinubu to (1) make Sharia law unconstitutional in the twelve northern states where they has been adopted since 2000 and (2) disband the various Hisbah groups across northern states seeking to enforce and impose Islamic law on all citizens regardless of their religious identity.”
Nigerian government response to US pressure
Obadare acknowledged that Nigeria had taken steps under US pressure. He noted that President Tinubu had ordered air strikes against Boko Haram targets, recruited 30,000 additional policemen, and declared a national security emergency. “As recent events have shown, the Nigerian authorities are not impervious to incentives,” he said. However, he insisted that “Washington must keep up the pressure.”
Allegations of religious cleansing
The bipartisan session, led by Appropriations Vice Chair Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) and involving the House Foreign Affairs Committee, heard repeated accusations that the Nigerian government was complicit in what lawmakers described as “religious cleansing” across the north and Middle Belt.
Witnesses cited the November 22 abduction of children and teachers from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, ongoing blasphemy-law imprisonments, and mass killings. They rejected claims that the violence was solely linked to resource disputes.
Obadare stressed the roots of the crisis, saying, “The deadliest and most serious threat confronting the Nigerian state today is jihadist terror, perpetrated by the Islamist group Boko Haram. Boko Haram translates to ‘Western education is forbidden.’ Boko Haram’s barbarous and implacable campaign to overthrow the Nigerian state and establish an Islamic caliphate in its stead is the source of Nigeria’s present discontents. Every proposal to solve the Nigerian crisis that does not take seriously the need to radically degrade and ultimately eliminate Boko Haram as a fighting force is a non-starter.”
Source: Getty Images
Forcing accountability
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) labelled Nigeria “ground zero” for global anti-Christian persecution, while Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) demanded the disarmament of militias and prosecution of attackers.
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Chair Vicky Hartzler and Alliance Defending Freedom International’s Sean Nelson highlighted recent atrocities and called for Washington to use security-aid leverage, early-warning systems, and targeted sanctions to force accountability.
Lawmakers from both parties signalled support for Díaz-Balart’s FY26 appropriations language addressing the crisis. They announced that the Appropriations Committee was drafting a formal report to President Trump with concrete recommendations, including potential conditions on U.S. assistance to Nigeria.
Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as CPC
The briefing underscored the Trump administration’s recent redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern. Trump had first designated Nigeria as a CPC in 2020, but the country was later removed from the list by President Joe Bi
On October 31, Trump redesignated Nigeria as a CPC over religious freedom violations and threatened military action if the Nigerian government failed to act. He warned that the US may halt aid and assistance to Nigeria if alleged Christian persecution continued.
Tuesday’s briefing was not the first of its kind. On November 20, the US House of Representatives Subcommittee held a hearing on Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a CPC, featuring senior US State Department officials and Nigerian religious leaders.
US senator Ted Cruz declares war on Nigeria’s sharia
Legit.ng earlier reported that United States Senator Ted Cruz has announced plans to push legislation targeting the enforcement of Sharia and blasphemy laws in Nigeria.
Legit.ng reports that the move follows the US President Donald Trump’s redesignation of the country as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged religious persecution.
Source: Legit.ng
