TVC E. A bill to alter Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution to increase the jurisdiction of the Sharia Court is in the offing in the House of Representatives. Tagged ‘Sharia Expansion Bill’, the bill has already passed its second hearing.
The bill is being sponsored by Abdullahi Balarabe Salame, an All Progressives Congress (APC) member from Sokoto state.
55 year old Salame is a one-time speaker of the Sokoto state House of Assembly. He represents Gwadabawa/Illela constituency since and has been a member of the House since 2011.
Reporters got across to Salame and he outlined 5 reasons why the bill is being promoted.
Read below: 1. Section 275 of the 1999 Constitution has already provided for the establishment of Sharia Court of appeal for every state that requires it. The bill is only expanding the jurisdiction of Sharia courts to handle criminal cases and not expanding Sharia to the whole of Nigeria.
2. The bill, if approved, will go a long way in eliminating various criminal activities experienced in the country like Islamic religious extremism.
Sharia courts can try criminal matters immediately it happens.
3. Increasing the jurisdiction of the Sharia court to cover criminal matters will greatly help in protecting women and child rights by preventing sexual harassment, rape and child abuses.
4. It will improve peace and unity among Muslims and Non-Muslims in the country especially in the states that are implementing Sharia.
5. The current war against corruption will be more strengthened with the passage of the bill.
