A former Head of the Islamic Law Department, University of Ilorin, Professor AbdulRazzaq Alaro, has attributed the stiff opposition to the adoption and implementation of Sharia law in Southern Nigeria to widespread misconceptions, particularly the belief that Sharia is synonymous with punishment.
Speaking at the 2025 Annual Ramadan Lecture of the Muslim Lawyers’ Association of Nigeria (MULAN), Oyo state branch, Alaro described Sharia as one of the most misunderstood concepts in the region.
He noted that for many Southerners, the term evokes images of severe punishments, a misconception that has fueled long-standing resistance.
Delivering a lecture titled: “Sharia Beyond the Criminal Justice System: Clarifying the Myth and Misconceptions Surrounding Its Application in Nigeria,” Alaro pointed out that even among the Yoruba-speaking communities, the term “Seria” is often used in local parlance to mean punishment.
He stated that this linguistic association has contributed to the negative perception of Sharia law whenever discussions about its implementation arise.
According to Alaro, resistance to Sharia law is not only from non-Muslims but also from uninformed Muslims, which he finds even more troubling.
He commended MULAN for selecting the topic for discussion and for its plans to pursue legal and strategic measures to advocate for the application of Sharia in Oyo State.
He clarified that Sharia is not merely a system of punishment but a comprehensive legal framework derived from the Qur’an and Sunnah, similar to Common Law and Customary Law.
He emphasised that Sharia law predates Nigeria’s formation as a sovereign state and has historically played a significant role in the legal systems of various regions.
Alaro stressed that Sharia’s criminal justice system is primarily focused on deterrence rather than punishment, debunking the notion that it is solely about capital punishment or amputation.
He said “Apart from the Criminal justice system, Sharia has other branches of laws including public and private laws, business and commercial laws, municipal and international laws as well as substantive and procedural laws.
“In specifics, Sharia has laws relating to family relationship otherwise known as Personal law, law of financial transactions such as laws of contract, commercially law, company law, property law, banking law and insurance law.
“It also encompasses laws relating to civil wrong suchbas thenlaws of tort, environmental law, and laws relating to regulation of resources such as land law, oil and gas law.
“Equally, Sharia encompasses laws relating to governance such as constitutional Las and administrative law. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that Sharia laws and principles cover all branches of laws known to mankind in the past, present and one’s that are not presently known but which maybbe unraveled in the future.”
He added that Sharia law is capable of addressing all challenges as a people and also enhance justice in the society if well implemented.
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He cited the example of the use of fund from the Islamic bank and sukuk in particular, saying, “Sharia has provided for us a viable alternative to the interest based system in the areas of public project funding. A total of 124 road projects covering over 5,820 kilometers across the six geopolitical zones have been developed through sukuk since 2017. Yet, Nigeria remains a multi-religious country and was never islamised.”
He lamented that the unfounded fear of islamization agenda each time Muslims demand for their legitimate right has been exposed to be no more than a ruse wickedly devised to sustain the systematic deprivation of Nigerians Muslims of their fundamental rights as citizens.
He however cautioned that Sharia should be seen beyond its criminal justice system, noting thatnitbisna complete legal system that has many other branches of law which are capable of complementing the existing legal systems in several aspects of the law.
“The legal system is capable of offering justice that satisfies the conscious amd religious dictates of the Nigerian populace in line with citizens fundamental right to freedom of religion and conscience “, he added.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman, Ramadan Palnning Committee, Akeem Agbaje said the topic was choosing after it was observed that Sharia has become a very sensitive topic which is assuming a dangerous dimension as people are gradually becoming aggressive about it.
Agbaje said, “We observed that Sharia is a very sensitive topic in our society. We also observed that it was assuming a dangerous dimension.
“People were being aggressive about it. Even though what they were proposing was an abdication panel, we felt that it was important that we should enlighten both Muslims and non-Muslims about the Sharia. Because the concern about Sharia is not restricted to Christians.
“Even some Muslims are showing concern about the Sharia. So we believe there should be a process that enlightens everybody about what Sharia is all about. We know that the popular part of Sharia is the criminal justice part of it.
“But Sharia is beyond criminal law. It covers every aspect of the private Muslim law like banking, matrimonial matters, inheritance. So it’s important that we begin to educate or enlighten our people.”
He said the fear or apprehension about Sharia is more dominant in the minds of the leaders which has made several effort at changing the wrong orientation about it futile.
He appealed to non-Muslims to eschew their fears about Sharia, noting that if people have inter religious marriages without fears, there should not be any about the religious laws of Muslims, noting that the introduction of some parts ofbthe Sharia law such as Islamic banking has been beneficial to all and sundry irrespective of religious beliefs.
The event also featured a panel session where members gave their diverse views about various benefits that the implementation of Sharia law holds for the society at large.