In response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s public threats, several American lawmakers and human rights groups were reported to have intensified calls for stronger measures, including the abolition of the Sharia legal system in parts of northern Nigeria.
According to The Punch, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, in September, introduced the “Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025,” arguing that Nigerian officials who enforce or support Sharia and blasphemy laws should face sanctions. He also urged that Nigeria be designated as a “country of particular concern.”
Beyond the U.S. Congress, human-rights organisations such as Alliance Defending Freedom and Advancing American Freedom were said to have filed petitions urging the U.S. State Department to take action against Nigeria for serious religious-freedom violations.
The groups cited reports indicating that 12 state governments in Nigeria were enforcing Sharia, including blasphemy laws. They also reportedly called for sanctions against Nigerian government officials and governors of those states.
As of 2025, it was reported that 12 northern states had officially implemented Sharia law to varying extents. These include Zamfara, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Jigawa, and Borno, while Yobe, Bauchi, and Gombe were also listed. Kaduna and Niger States were said to have only partially enforced the system.
Senator Cruz was said to have commended Trump for redesignating Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” while urging the White House to impose sanctions on the state governments and their officials in order to compel them to end what he described as “mass murder” in Nigeria.
The proposed sanctions could reportedly include travel visa bans, asset freezes, and financial or other diplomatic restrictions between the U.S. and Nigeria.
However, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) were said to have condemned the move, describing it as a “direct assault on Islam.” They maintained that the northern states would not succumb to pressure from the U.S. government or President Trump.
Reports recalled that Sharia law was first adopted in Zamfara State under Governor Ahmed Sani Yerima. The system, also known as Islamic Law, is derived from the Qur’an, the Hadith (sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad), and Islamic jurisprudence.
Initially focused on personal matters such as marriage, inheritance, and morality, it has since been expanded in several northern states to cover criminal justice and, in some cases, serves as the penal code.
NEF’s spokesperson, Prof. Abubakar Jiddere, was reported to have dismissed the threatened sanctions as “empty threats,” while describing President Trump’s comments on alleged mass killings of Christians in Nigeria as “arrogant.”
He reportedly warned that any northern governor who tried to suspend or dilute Sharia law to evade U.S. sanctions would face strong resistance from religious scholars and the public, who regarded the laws as divine and non-negotiable.
“For the majority of these states, Sharia is not just law, but an identity–deeply tied to faith, culture, and local legitimacy. Any northern governor who attempts to halt or weaken Sharia enforcement would face intense backlash from religious scholars, traditional institutions, and the general public, who see Sharia as divine, not negotiable,” he stated. View, More,
Explore More News By Using The Button.