Yoruba Group Opposes Plan to Introduce Sharia Law, Establish Sharia Court In Oyo State
It would be recalled that there are reported plans by the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria (Oyo State Chapter) to inaugurate a Sharia court in Oyo town on January 11, 2025.
A Yoruba youth group has opposed plans to introduce Sharia law or establish Sharia courts in the Southwestern region of the country.
It would be recalled that there are reported plans by the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria (Oyo State Chapter) to inaugurate a Sharia court in Oyo town on January 11, 2025.
The event is slated to take place at the Muslim Community Islamic Centre, Oba Adeyemi High School Road, Mobolaje area, Agbogangan, Oyo.
The position of the group was stated in a joint statement by the Yoruba National Youth Leader (Diaspora), Ayodele Ologunloluwa, and the home leader, Oyegunle Omotoyole.
They emphasized that Sharia law is incompatible with Yoruba values, culture, and way of life.
In the statement, the group vowed to defend Yoruba ancestral land “against any form of destabilization, including efforts to impose Sharia law.”
The statement declared: “We will resist any move to impose Sharia law or courts in Yorubaland. Yoruba culture and traditions are distinct, and any attempt to introduce alien laws will be met with fierce opposition.”
Describing the proposal as “laughable,” the group vowed to mobilise resistance if the plan moves forward.
“We warn the Nigerian government not to create divisions in Yorubaland. Our focus is on Yoruba Nation self-determination, and we will not allow any external influence to derail our struggle.”
They further urged Yoruba citizens to remain vigilant and ready to defend their land from any external influence or imposition.
The statement quoted Yoruba leader Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s reported statement that “Instead of a Yorubaman prostrating for a Hausa-Fulani, it is better to take courage and die.”
They demanded the immediate withdrawal of the plans and called on Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, South-West governors, Yoruba monarchs, senators, and other leaders to reject the proposal and safeguard Yoruba cultural heritage.
“We will not allow any attempt to disrupt the peace of Yorubaland under the guise of religious imposition.”
The statement noted that the development would undermine the region’s faith and values.
“We reject any effort to entrench practices that undermine our faith, values, and identity. We will resist this agenda with all our might.”
The Yoruba Nation Youths also reaffirmed their commitment to establishing an independent Yoruba Nation, free from oppression.
“No force on earth or in hell can stop the rise of a sovereign Yoruba state,” the statement noted.
