No implementation of Sharia law in Nigeria’s Southwest and women won’t dress in hijab as claimed

Claim

@AfonjaSlayer on X had claimed that after the alleged implementation of Sharia law in Nigeria’s Southwest, women in the region have been ordered to wear hijabs.

Verdict

This claim is FALSE. Unlike the earlier report on establishing sharia in Oyo State in Nigeria’s Southwest, the Islamic group, the Supreme Council for Shari’ah, clarified that it is to inaugurate an “arbitration panel,” not a Sharia court.

Full Text

An X user, @AfonjaSlayer, has claimed that the Nigerian women living in the southwest part of the country will be dressed in hijabs after an alleged implementation of sharia law in the region.

The hijab refers to a variety of head coverings conventionally worn by many Muslim women.

The X user attached two photos of women dressed in hijabs with a caption that reads, “Breaking news: After the implementation of shariah laws across Yoruba land, they have ordered their women to be dressing this way henceforth. Yoruba land is now an Islamic state. We are getting there gradually inshallah. Islam has come to stay in Yoruba land Asee”.

The post by @AfonjaSlayer generated over 38k views, 148 reposts, and more than 400 likes, according to X analytics.

Many who commented believed this post was very true. So FACTWATCH Nigeria decides to run a fact check on it.

Verification

Unlike the earlier report on establishing a Sharia court in Oyo State, Nigeria’s Southwest, the Islamic group, Supreme Council for Shari’ah, clarified that it is to inaugurate an “arbitration panel,” not a Sharia court.

The group clarified that the postponement of the event was due to an inadvertent reference to the program as the inauguration of a Shari’a court in the state rather than what it refers to as the “Independent Shari’a Arbitration Panel.”

In a press statement signed by the Chairman of the Committee, Dr. Bello Adisa, and made available to our correspondent on Wednesday, he explained that the arbitration panel already exists in several South-West states and is intended to resolve family disputes among willing Muslims.

In a statement, the group, the arbitration panel, which already exists in many parts of the South-West, is meant only to settle family disputes among willing Muslims, without enforcement powers. It is not a court. We deeply regret any inconvenience caused by this misrepresentation and the subsequent postponement.”

Reacting, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde addressed concerns surrounding the proposed establishment of a Sharia court in Oyo Town, affirming his commitment to upholding the law and the Nigerian Constitution.

Makinde emphasized that although individuals or groups may pursue initiatives such as the Sharia Court, these actions must remain within the confines of the law.

He assured that any deviation from legal provisions would face scrutiny and enforcement to ensure compliance.

There’s no credible information anywhere that there’s an existing Sharia law in any of the states of Nigeria’s Southwest or recent plans for its implementation.