American lawmakers have been asked to pressure the Nigerian government to abolish Sharia law in northern states and dissolve Hisbah religious-enforcement groups, amid renewed warnings that these systems fuel anti-Christian persecution.
The call was made by Dr Ebenezer Obadare, Senior Fellow for Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, during a joint congressional briefing hosted by the House Appropriations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Obadare told legislators that Boko Haram, ISWAP and radicalised Fulani militants remain the primary drivers of violence, adding that extremists exploit Sharia frameworks and Hisbah operatives to impose ideology, enforce forced conversions and act with impunity.
He urged Washington to work with Nigeria to neutralise Boko Haram while pushing President Tinubu to make Sharia law unconstitutional in the twelve northern states where it has been adopted since 2000. He also called for all Hisbah groups to be disbanded.
The bipartisan briefing, led by Appropriations Vice Chair Mario Díaz-Balart, featured repeated claims that the Nigerian government has failed to stop what lawmakers described as religious cleansing across the north and Middle Belt.
Witnesses cited the abduction of pupils and teachers from St Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State, ongoing blasphemy-related imprisonments and mass killings, arguing that the crisis goes far beyond resource disputes.
Obadare stressed that jihadist terror remains Nigeria’s most severe threat, insisting that any solution must prioritise degrading and eliminating Boko Haram’s fighting capability.
Several lawmakers, including Rep Chris Smith and Rep Brian Mast, demanded tougher action, disarmament of armed groups and prosecution of perpetrators.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom and other advocacy groups called for sanctions, stronger accountability tools and conditions on American security assistance.
The Appropriations Committee is preparing a formal report to President Trump with detailed recommendations on the path forward.
