Ibadan,March 9,2025 (NAN) Prof. Abdulrazzaq Alaro, an expert in Shari’ah Law says the doctrine of Shari’ah legal system and its practice is beyond capital punishment or amputation of the limbs as perceived by some Nigerians.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Alaro, a lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of Ilorin stated this when delivered a speech as a guest at the Annual Ramadan Lecture organised by the Muslim Lawyers’ Association of Nigeria (MULAN),Oyo State branch on Sunday in Ibadan.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the lecture was ‘Shari’ah Beyond The Criminal Justice System; Clarifying The Myths and Misconceptions Surrounding the Implementation of Shari’ah Law in Nigeria’.
The guest speaker said that Shari’ah has a robust and effective criminal justice system which focuses on deterrent, not punishment.
He said that the application of Shari’ah for the Muslims was not a matter of choice but an obligation that governs their affairs.
“Shari’ah, therefore, is to be seen beyond its criminal justice system.
“It is a complete legal system that has many other branches of law capable of complementing the existing legal system in several aspects of the law.
“Shari’ah Court is a legitimate and legal demand of Muslims as enshrined in the Constitution of Nigeria and should be given to them.
“In any state of the federation where there is no Shari’ah Court competent of making Shari’ah pronouncements, it cannot be said that the citizens of such state enjoy their full rights to freedom of religion.
“Any demand for the establishment of a court that sees to the affairs of Muslims in the state is a modest demand that deserves attention of the state government and other stakeholders,” he said.
Alaro said further that the ideal situation for every state in Nigeria, including Oyo was to establish Shari’ah Courts that would completely address matters that concern Muslims in areas of marriage, divorce, inheritance among others.
He explained that the demand by the Muslims for the establishment of Shari’ah Courts needed to be understood and correct the misconceptions that usually becloud the real issue of its application.
Earlier, the MULAN Chairman,Oyo State, Alhaji Ismail Saka, said the lecture’s topic spoke to the yearnings of the Muslims in the South-West of Nigeria and beyond.
Saka said that the clamour for the establishment of Shari’ah courts for thr South-West Muslims had been on for a while but had been ignored by successive governments in spite of several agitations.
He said that the opposition to Shari’ah implementation in the region wad mostly borne out of ignorance of what it entails.
The chairman said that the topic sought to correct the well-entrenched wrong notions of Shari’ah.
Other panelists at the event included Justice AbdulRaheem Sayyi, khadi,Kwara State Shari’ah Court of Appeal, Justice Kareem Adedokun and Hajia Kafilat Araoye,Managing Director of Lotus Bank.
The panelists attributed ignorance and religious intolerance as some of the factors contributing to opposition of Shari’ah courts in parts of the country.
They called for more enlightenment and other approaches that would lead to the establishment of Shari’ah courts in the South-West region
