A civic group under the aegis of the End Sharia Now Campaign has called for the urgent removal of all Islamic references from Nigeria?s 1999 Constitution.

The group said the existing provisions are a direct threat to the country?s secular identity.

The convener, Benson Sunday, in a statement on Monday, argued that the constitutional entrenchment of Islamic legal systems in sections of the document contradicts Section 10, which he said expressly prohibits the adoption of any religion as state religion.

According to Sunday, analysis conducted by the campaign reveals that the term Sharia appears 73 times in the Constitution, Grand Kadi 54 times, Islam 28 times, and Muslim 10 times.

These references, he claimed, are backed by legal instruments empowering 12 northern states to operate full-fledged Sharia systems with religious police (Hisbah) and courts that, in some instances, affect even non-Muslims.

The group specifically referenced Sections 260?264 and 275?279 of the Constitution, which established the Sharia Courts of Appeal at both federal and state levels, and Section 277(1), which restricts appointments as a Kadi to persons of Islamic faith.

He said, ?Nigeria is a proud, diverse nation of over 200 million people of different faiths, ethnicities, cultures, and philosophies. At independence, we were promised a country governed not by any religion or tribal ideology, but by law, equity, and democracy.

?The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) opens with the words We the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, having firmly and solemnly resolved to live in unity and harmony as one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation under God.

?That Constitution, in Section 10, also makes a clear declaration: The Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion.?

The group warned that the implications of a dual legal system are far-reaching, saying such systems cause religious discrimination, suppress freedom of belief, and create fertile ground for persecution.

While demanding the abolition of any law or court that gives legal authority to any religious belief over citizens, Sunday noted that ?this is not just a northern issue. This is not a Christian versus Muslim issue, but this is a Nigerian issue.

?Every citizen whether Muslim, Christian, traditionalist, or atheist, deserves the protection of one Constitution, not religious rules dictated by one faith group. We call on civil society, religious leaders, political representatives, student groups, traditional rulers, and every freedom-loving Nigerian to join this campaign.? (The Guardian)

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