The Yoruba Council Worldwide (YCW), an umbrella organisation representing Yoruba folks globally, has opposed the deliberate inauguration of a Sharia Courtroom in Oyo City, Oyo State.
The occasion, organised by the Supreme Council for Shari-ah in Nigeria (SCSN), is slated for January 11, 2025, on the Muslim Neighborhood Islamic Centre, Mobolaje space, Oyo City.
The group stated this in a press release signed by its president, Aare Oladotun Hassan Esq and its nationwide publicity secretary, Bashorun Isaac Aderemi Ajibola, and addressed to Sheikh AbdulRasheed Hadiyatullah, president of SCSN, and different key stakeholders.
YCW, within the assertion, described the transfer as a violation of Nigerian legal guidelines and a risk to Yoruba ancestral rights and cultural heritage.
The council emphasised that Yoruba land is a multicultural and multi-religious area with distinct traditions and values, rejecting any try and impose Sharia regulation or courts. The organisation warned that the inauguration may disrupt peaceable coexistence within the area and provoke ethno-religious tensions.
YCW referenced historic resistance in opposition to Islamic invasions throughout the outdated Oyo Empire, underscoring its dedication to defending Yoruba land in opposition to any type of destabilisation. The council additionally highlighted issues over human rights abuses linked to Sharia regulation in Northern Nigeria, similar to extreme punishments for minor offenses.
Of their demand for speedy cancellation of the occasion, the YCW known as on outstanding Yoruba leaders, together with His Imperial Majesty Ooni of Ife, President Bola Tinubu, and different political and spiritual stakeholders, to intervene. The group additionally urged safety businesses to behave swiftly to stop the occasion, stressing their readiness to withstand the transfer by means of authorized and peaceable means.
The Yoruba Council Worldwide said, “We don’t need Sharia regulation or Sharia courts in Oyo State or any a part of Yoruba land. Yoruba tradition and traditions are distinct, and any try and introduce alien legal guidelines will likely be met with fierce and logical resistance.
“We foresee this as an try and lure our peace-loving folks of Yoruba land into pointless attrition of ethno-religious battle, consequently that is despicable, demeaning and laughable to say the least.
“We avowed to mobilize resistance by means of all obtainable legit means not restricted to authorized sanctions at a courtroom of competent jurisdiction, we hereby place the Director Common of the Division of State Companies, NIA, IGP of Police on crimson alert to cease this impending provocative evil menace if the plan strikes ahead,” the group famous.
