A pan-Igbo socio-political association, Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union, has condemned what it described as “pushback” by Nigerian Islamic authorities against the United States Congress’s call for the repeal of Sharia law in Nigeria.
Following the designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern by the US government led by President Donald Trump, the US Congress, spearheaded by Congressman Riley M. Moore, recently recommended the scrapping of Sharia law in the country as part of measures to end the oppression of Christians.
In a statement on Friday, jointly signed by the President, Benjamin I. Nwankwo, and Secretary, Chief Charles Edemuzo, Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union warned that the rejection of the recommendation by Islamic authorities shows that the current structure of the Nigerian state is no longer sustainable.
The pan-Igbo union also demanded the dismantling of the 1999 Constitution.
“Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union issues this urgent warning to the Federal Government of Nigeria, the National Assembly, and Northern Islamic leadership – the time for ambiguity is over. The recent push-back by Islamic authorities against Mr. Riley Moore’s call to repeal Sharia criminal law exposes a bitter truth – the Nigerian state, in its current configuration, is no longer sustainable.
“Nigeria enshrines Sharia in its Constitution and, as a ranking member of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC), cannot simply erase it overnight. Any proposal to impose a uniform common law system without first dismantling the 1999 constitution is a non-starter. Those pretending otherwise are living in denial.
“Two legal codes cannot coexist in a serious, modern nation. Nigeria cannot continue to pretend that a “common law” society can function alongside a full-blown religious legal system,” the statement said.
Insisting that the status quo is dead, Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union insisted that Northern leaders must make a choice, “either fully embrace an egalitarian common law society where all Nigerians are equal under the law or be allowed to exist as an exclusive Islamic enclave – legitimate, sovereign, and separate if they so choose, much like the United Arab Emirates”.
The statement added, “The Sharia crisis proves that Nigeria cannot survive as a single, unified state under its current arrangement. The nation now faces two stark outcomes: a peaceful referendum establishing a safe-haven in the East for persecuted Judeo-Christian citizens, or violence and inevitable fragmentation – a reality no one desires but which history will enforce if the government continues to ignore the structural fault lines.
“History offers clear lessons. England once guaranteed sanctuary for Protestants fleeing Catholic persecution in France. Biafra can serve as a modern-day sanctuary for all citizens fleeing oppression in Northern Nigeria. This is not a threat – it is a historical inevitability.”
Noting that the National Assembly stands at what it described as “its moment of truth”, the union stressed that the lawmakers can either remove Sharia from the Constitution and preserve peace, or they can ignore the writing on the wall and preside over a fracture of the Nigerian state.
“There is no middle ground. Ndi Igbo Worldwide Union makes no apology for this frankness. As the Nigeria jihadists makes no apology for the public lynching of a college student- Deborah Samuel, the kidnapping and forcible slavery of Leah Sharibu, till date and several others.
“The safety, survival, and future of Ndi Igbo and all persecuted Nigerians demand clarity. Any attempts to maintain the current imbalance will be recorded as deliberate negligence, with consequences that the architects of such inaction must face.
“Nigeria has a choice. The clock is ticking. History will remember who acted—and who failed,” the union declared.
