During a joint House briefing in Washington on Tuesday, experts urged United States lawmakers to pressure the Nigerian government to abolish the application of Sharia criminal law in northern states and to disband the religious-enforcement Hisbah commissions.

Naijaonpoint reports that the briefing, held in response to the US designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), focused on the link between these institutional frameworks and what witnesses described as systematic anti-Christian persecution and violence across the north and Middle Belt.

Dr. Ebenezer Obadare, a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, laid out a specific policy strategy for the US to address the insecurity and violence, which he claims is fueled by extremist groups exploiting Sharia frameworks.

The key policy goals recommended to President Tinubu are:

1. Neutralize Boko Haram; Work with the Nigerian military to eliminate the jihadist group.

2. Abolish Sharia Criminal Law: Pressure President Tinubu to declare Sharia law unconstitutional in the twelve northern states where it has been adopted since 2000.

3. Disband Hisbah Groups: Disband the various Hisbah commissions across northern states that enforce and impose Islamic law on all citizens regardless of their religious identity.

Obadare said: “As recent events have shown, the Nigerian authorities are not impervious to incentives.

“Since the country’s Country of Particular Concern (CPC) designation and President Trump’s threat of unilateral military action against Boko Haram, President Tinubu has made several moves, including ordering air strikes against Boko Haram targets, the recruitment of an additional 30,000 policemen, and, most recently, declaring a national security emergency in the country.”

He, however, expects a lot more to be done, saying, “Washington must keep up the pressure.”

The bipartisan session, led by House Appropriations Vice Chair Mario Díaz-Balart, heard accusations that the Nigerian government is complicit in “religious cleansing.”

Witnesses cited ongoing incidents, including:

The November 22 abduction of children and teachers from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State.
Ongoing imprisonments under blasphemy laws.
Mass killings in the Middle Belt, rejecting claims that the violence is solely due to resource disputes.

Obadare emphasised the roots of the crisis, saying, “The deadliest and most serious threat confronting the Nigerian state today is jihadist terror, perpetrated by the Islamist group Boko Haram.

“Boko Haram translates to ‘Western education is forbidden.’ Boko Haram’s barbarous and implacable campaign to overthrow the Nigerian state and establish an Islamic caliphate in its stead is the source of Nigeria’s present discontents.

“Every proposal to solve the Nigerian crisis that does not take seriously the need to radically degrade and ultimately eliminate Boko Haram as a fighting force is a non-starter.”

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) labelled Nigeria “ground zero” for global anti-Christian persecution, while Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) demanded the disarmament of militias and prosecution of attackers.

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Chair Vicky Hartzler and Alliance Defending Freedom International’s Sean Nelson detailed recent atrocities and called for Washington to use security-aid leverage, early-warning systems, and targeted sanctions to force accountability.

Lawmakers from both parties signalled support for Díaz-Balart’s FY26 appropriations language addressing the crisis.

They announced that the Appropriations Committee is drafting a formal report to President Donald Trump with concrete recommendations, including potential conditions on U.S. assistance to Nigeria

The push to abolish Sharia criminal law targets the expansion of its jurisdiction that began around the year 2000.

Historically, Sharia in Nigeria was primarily limited to personal status and civil law.

However, since 2000, twelve states have adopted Sharia Penal Codes, applying the law to criminal offenses.

The Hisbah commissions are state-institutionalized agencies created by these states to police public morality and enforce the Sharia Penal Codes.

Reports indicate that these commissions and their brigades, often locally recruited youth, have been criticized for targeting individuals for things like:

1. Playing music deemed un-Islamic.

2. Homosexuality (which, under Sharia Penal Codes in some states, carries the death penalty, though observers note no executions from Sharia penal codes have been carried out since 1999).

3. Blasphemy, with penalties including extended prison sentences, public lashings, amputation, and death.

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