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Ogun won’t allow establishment of Shariah Court, Abiodun warns jihadist promoters

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Ogun won’t allow Shariah Court and will “prevent a breakdown of law and order,” he adds

By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor

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“The Ogun State Government upholds and protects the rights of individuals to practise the religion of their choice, or to subscribe to no religion, and recognises the freedom of individuals to apply their faith in their personal and private matters.

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“However, this freedom does not extend to the formation of unauthorised assemblies or institutions. No individual or group is legally permitted to constitute a court or present themselves to the public as a court without legal backing.

“Those behind that notice have no legal backing. They cannot set up a court or administer justice by fiat or public notice” – Abiodun

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Ogun government will not allow anyone or group of individuals to establish a Sharia Court in the state, Governor Dapo Abiodun has warned the promoters of such an idea, against the background of the latest gambit in Ekiti.

A Sharia Court administers Islamic legal system and is practised solely in Muslim-majority Northern states. Shariah is supposed to settle disputes between Muslims but critics argue that, in reality, some Christians in the North are also dragged into it.

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Attempts have been made in recent times by Shariah Court advocates to sneak it from the North to the South where there is no Muslim-majority state.

The first port of call of the promoters was Oyo where the plan was quashed after public outcry, then they tested the waters in Ekiti about two weeks ago where the Islamic legal code is also suffering heavy pushback.

Abiodun insisted on Tuesday that a Sharia Court cannot be legally constituted by individuals or groups without legal backing.

He was reacting in a statement to a notice announcing the launch of a Sharia Court in Ogun just after the fiasco on the matter in Ekiti.

Abiodun reiterated that Ogun only recognises courts established through the legal framework of the Constitution and a Shariah Court does not form part of the legal framework in the state.

“The Ogun State Government has noted the circulation of a digital notice announcing the launch of a Shari’ah Court in Ogun State. No Sharia Court is authorised to operate within Ogun State,” Abiodun warned in the statement, which he personally signed.

“The courts that are legally empowered to adjudicate disputes arising within Ogun State are those established by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or by State Laws, which are: Magistrates’ Courts, High Court, Customary Courts, Customary Court of Appeal, Federal High Court, National Industrial Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court.

“No law operating in Ogun State has established a Sharia Court, and Sharia law does not form part of the legal framework by which the Ogun State Government administers and governs society.

“The Ogun State Government upholds and protects the rights of individuals to practise the religion of their choice, or to subscribe to no religion, and recognises the freedom of individuals to apply their faith in their personal and private matters.

“However, this freedom does not extend to the formation of unauthorised assemblies or institutions. No individual or group is legally permitted to constitute a court or present themselves to the public as a court without legal backing.

“Those behind that notice have no legal backing. They cannot set up a court or administer justice by fiat or public notice.”

Abiodun said all persons involved in the creation or operation of the unauthorised court must immediately cease all related activities and disband the illegal entity and all its apparatus.

“The Ogun State Government also advises members of the public to disregard any summons, documents, or persons associated with the illegal Sharia Court. Such occurrences should be promptly reported to the state.

“The Ogun State Government will uphold the rule of law, ensure respect for the legal and judicial framework within the state, and prevent a breakdown of law and order.”

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