Govs Approval Not Needed For Establishing Sharia Panels In Southwest – Judge

The Qadi of the Shari’ah Court of Appeal, Kwara State, Justice Abdurraheem Sayi, has said that Muslims do not need approval from state authorities before establishing Shari’ah arbitration panels in the South-West.

The judge described the objection to the Shari’ah arbitration panels in the South-West as “legally baseless, an embarrassment to legal minds, and a mere expression of Islamophobia syndrome.”

He stated this while delivering a lecture on “Shari’ah in South-West Nigeria” at the University of Lagos Muslim Alumni 30th Pre-Ramadan Lecture, themed “The Transformative Power of Ramadan,” which was held at the J.F. Ade Ajayi Auditorium, UNILAG, on Sunday.

The lecture, attended by Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, Ogun Deputy Governor, Noimot Salako, and other dignitaries, aimed to dispel misconceptions about Shari’ah law and arbitration in the region.

Justice Sayi emphasised that arbitration is a contractual matter that does not require government approval, stating, “There’s no confusion in the Nigerian Constitution. Arbitration is by contract.

“Nobody needs the approval of the Federal Government to operate it. As powerful as the President is, his authority does not extend to approving the Constitution of an arbitration panel. It is purely contractual.”

He further asserted that Muslims do not need permission from religious bodies or traditional rulers to operate Shari’ah panels, as the law grants private citizens the right to do so.

He said, “We don’t need the approval of any state authority, let alone a monarch. Associations, including political parties, can establish small committees to resolve disputes involving their members.

“All the Muslim panels that I know of always hold their sittings inside mosques. What business do pastors or monarchs have in this matter? Somebody should tell the monarchs to know their boundaries.”