A storm is brewing in the South-West as Yoruba youths, both in Nigeria and the diaspora, have issued a fiery warning to the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, over alleged attempts to introduce Sharia courts in Yoruba Land. The youth leaders have made it clear that any such move will be vehemently resisted, calling it an affront to Yoruba culture, tradition, and way of life.
In a joint statement, Prophet Ayodele Ologunloluwa, the Yoruba National Youth Leader (Diaspora), and Comrade Oyegunle Oluwamayowa Omotoyole, Homebase Leader, condemned what they described as a deliberate ploy by the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) to impose Sharia law on the South-West. They accused the NSCIA of attempting to destabilize the region, warning that Yoruba youths will not stand idly by while such an agenda unfolds.
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The controversy stems from a press release by Imam Haroun Muhammad Eze, Deputy National Legal Adviser of the NSCIA, dated January 29, 2025. Eze cited Section 275 of the 1999 Constitution, arguing that states like Ekiti and Oyo could legally establish Sharia Arbitration Panels, similar to Customary Courts of Appeal. However, the Yoruba youths dismissed this argument as “laughable” and “suicidal,” insisting that the South-West has no place for Sharia law.
In their statement, the youth leaders accused proponents of Sharia law of seeking to “enslave and conquer” the Yoruba people, calling the move a dangerous and hypocritical scheme. They argued that states in the North where Sharia law is practiced have plunged into poverty, corruption, and terrorism, making it clear that the South-West must not follow the same path.
The warning to the Sultan of Sokoto comes with a strong message to South-West governors and traditional rulers: resist this proposal at all costs. The youths urged leaders of the region not to be deceived into supporting a system that could destabilize Yoruba Land and trigger unrest.
Sounding an ominous note, the youth leaders vowed that any attempt to impose Sharia courts in the South-West would be met with fierce resistance. “We will resist it with our last blood. Sharia is alien to our culture, and it has no place in Yoruba Land,” they declared.
