Nigeria Rejects US Calls to End Sharia Law, Says “We Are Not Venezuela”

Nigeria Rejects US Calls to End Sharia Law, Says “We Are Not Venezuela”

The Nigerian government has pushed back strongly against calls from some United States lawmakers for the country to abolish its Sharia law system, describing the demands as an overreach and a challenge to Nigerian sovereignty.

Daniel Bwala, the Presidential Adviser on Policy Communication, said the United States lacks both the right and the moral standing to tell Nigeria how to manage its own constitution. He made the comments during an interview on Arise Television on Thursday.

“They don’t have the locus,” Bwala stated directly when asked if the US could pressure Nigeria to end Sharia law. He argued that any such attempt from outside the country “will amount to infringing on the territorial integrity and territorial right of a country.”

READ: Ibadan Vendor Found Dead in Hotel After Meeting Mysterious Man

The debate began after a briefing in the US Congress where experts suggested lawmakers should push Nigeria to disband its Sharia courts and the related Hisbah police force. They claimed these systems are sometimes used by extremist groups to target Christians.

READ: Christian Genocide: U.S. Envoy Reports Over 600,000 Christians Displaced in Nigeria’s Benue State

But Bwala explained that Sharia law is not a national statute. “Sharia law is not a national law. We also practice federal system of government,” he said, noting it is a legal framework used only in 12 northern states, allowed under Nigeria’s federal model.

Bwala also addressed recent comments by former US President Donald Trump regarding a potential military intervention in Nigeria. He said the idea goes against normal international practice.

READ: Sydney Reels After Bondi Beach Shooting Leaves 15 Dead; Gunmen Were Father and Son (Video)

“Even the threat of possible military invasion is not consistent with the US convention,” Bwala said. He outlined that military action by one country against another is only acceptable under three conditions: an invitation from that country, a state of war, or a United Nations mandate.

Drawing a clear line, Bwala emphasised Nigeria’s status as an independent nation. “We differ with them on this idea of amending our constitution. Nigeria is a sovereign state, has never been colonized by America anywhere and we are not Venezuela,” he concluded.

The statement marks a firm official response to the growing international discussion about Nigeria’s internal legal structures, framing it squarely as an issue of national self-determination.