ADO-EKITI — THE inauguration of the Independent Shari’ah Arbitration Panel in Ado-Ekiti last week has continued to elicit reactions in Ekiti State as a group under the auspices of Yoruba Regional Alliance, YRA, in collaboration with all Yoruba self-determination organisations, yesterday, took to the street to protest against the panel.
This came as Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State warned against any attempt to establish a Sharia Court in the state.
Displaying placards with various inscriptions, the protesters gathered at a hotel in the Adebayo area of Ado Ekiti at about 9 am on Tuesday, from where they planned to move around the state capital.
Some of the inscriptions on their various placards read ‘No to Sharia in Yorubaland’, ‘Sharia will cause war’, ‘Sharia is constitutional blunder’, and ‘We reject Sharia’, among others.
However, they were prevented from moving around the streets as planned by the police to avoid hijack and possible crisis.
It’s an attempt to cause chaos
Addressing journalists, the leader of Yoruba Regional Alliance Worldwide, Opeoluwa Akinola alleged that the struggle to introduce Sharia into Yoruba land is an attempt to cause chaos and disharmony saying the practice does not represent her values.
Akinola noted that the Yoruba people, irrespective of their religions, have co-existed peacefully for generations without the Sharia penal code wondering what the Sharia law introduction is going to achieve that the existing penal codes and legal systems operative in Yoruba land cannot.
Also speaking, the chairman of Yoruba Nation Religious Council, YONAREC, Mr Oluwafemi Edafemi and others, said the group is opposed to the introduction of the Islamic legal system known as Sharia into Yoruba land.
No group can bring Sharia through backdoor — Gov Abiodun
On his part, Governor Dapo Abiodun has warned against any attempt to establish a Sharia Court in Ogun State.
The governor, in a statement, noted that Sharia Courts cannot be legally constituted by individuals or groups without legal backing.
The government, while reacting to a notice announcing the launch of a Sharia Court in the state, said Ogun State only recognizes courts established through the legal framework of the Nigerian Constitution, adding that a Sharia Court does not form part of the legal framework operating in the state.
The statement reads: “The Ogun State government has noted the circulation of a digital notice announcing the launch of a Shari’ah Court in Ogun State.
“No Sharia Court is authorised to operate within Ogun State. The courts that are legally empowered to adjudicate disputes arising within Ogun State are those established by the Constitution of Nigeria or by State Laws, which are: Magistrates’ Courts, High Court, Customary Courts, Customary Court of Appeal, Federal High Court, National Industrial Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court.
“No law operating in Ogun State has established a Sharia Court, and Sharia law does not form part of the legal framework by which the Ogun State government administers and governs society.
“The Ogun State government upholds and protects the rights of individuals to practice the religion of their choice, or to subscribe to no religion, and recognizes the freedom of individuals to apply their faith in their personal and private matters.
“However, this freedom does not extend to the formation of unauthorized assemblies or institutions. No individual or group is legally permitted to constitute a court or present themselves to the public as a court without legal backing. Those behind that notice have no legal backing. They cannot set up a court or administer justice by fiat or public notice.
“The Ogun State government, hereby, directs that all persons involved in the creation or operation of this unauthorised court must immediately cease all related activities and disband the illegal entity and all its apparatus.
“The Ogun State government also advises members of the public to disregard any summons, documents, or persons associated with the illegal Sharia Court. Such occurrences should be promptly reported to the State.
“The Ogun State government will uphold the rule of law, ensure respect for the legal and judicial framework within the State, and prevent a breakdown of law and order.
