Osun State - Shariah Courts Inauguration

Shariah Courts Inauguration

The study revealed that Muslims found psychological relief in the Shari’ah application in Yorubaland. Despite its official replacement, some Muslims had firm conviction in using Shari’ah; hence, it is applied at individual, private and non-governmental levels as evidenced in the activities of Faya Group in Ikirun, Bamidele Movement in Ibadan and Islahuddin Association in Iwo, as well as the Independent Shari’ah Arbitration Panels in Ibadan and Osogbo. It was discovered that while 93.0% of the Muslim respondents of both states were agitating for the establishment of Shari’ah Courts, 53.0% of the Christian respondents showed negative attitude to the resuscitation. 60.0% of the respondents of Oyo State House of Assembly supported the agitation, but 75.0% of those in Osun State did not.

A Shari`ah court was inaugurated in the southern state of Osun on Tuesday, April 25, to look into Muslim civil cases, the second such court in southern Nigeria. "The groups senior Muslim scholars and jurists who will rule in Muslims' civil and personal cases according the Chairman of the Osun State Muslim Community, which championed the move. The issue of shari'ah is new to Osun State, although certain groups of people have been clamouring for creation of a sharia'ah court this has faced critizism as Osun State has many different religions.