United States lawmakers were urged on Tuesday to increase pressure on the Nigerian government to abolish Sharia law in the northern states where it is enforced and to disband the Hisbah religious policing groups
Experts warned that these systems continue to facilitate systematic persecution of Christians and other minority communities.
Speaking at a joint House briefing convened following President Donald Trump’s directive and Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern, Dr. Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations highlighted how extremist groups—including Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and radicalised Fulani militias—exploit Sharia frameworks and Hisbah operatives to propagate extremist ideology, enforce forced conversions, and carry out attacks with minimal resistance.
Obadare outlined a two-track strategy for the U.S. to address the crisis. He advised lawmakers that Washington should collaborate closely with the Nigerian military to combat Boko Haram while simultaneously pressing President Bola Tinubu to declare Sharia unconstitutional in the twelve northern states that adopted it in 2000 and to dissolve the Hisbah groups operating in the region.
He pointed out that external pressure has shown results. Since the CPC designation and Trump’s warning of potential unilateral action against Boko Haram, Tinubu has ordered airstrikes on insurgent positions, approved the recruitment of 30,000 additional police officers, and declared a national security emergency.
However, Obadare stressed that these measures are insufficient and that continued U.S. engagement is critical.
The bipartisan briefing, led by Appropriations Vice Chair Mario Díaz-Balart and attended by members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, emphasized that the Nigerian government has largely failed to address what lawmakers called religious cleansing in the northern and Middle Belt regions. Witnesses cited incidents including the November 22 kidnapping of pupils and teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, prosecutions under blasphemy laws, and repeated mass killings, rejecting claims that the violence is merely driven by land and resource disputes.
Obadare argued that the core issue remains unchecked jihadist activity, with Boko Haram’s efforts to dismantle the Nigerian state and establish an Islamic order posing a continued threat to national stability. He concluded that any meaningful solution must prioritise the complete defeat of insurgent groups.
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