Sharia suspended in northern states

The National Council of State (NCS) decided on Tuesday at a meeting in Abuja that the implementation of the Sharia law in the northern states should be suspended, Radio Nigeria-Kaduna reported. At a news conference after the meeting Nigerian Vice-President Atiku Abubakar said that the decision was taken in the best interest of national security. The NCS appealed to all religious leaders to try to keep their followers in check and minimise the present tension in the country, state radio said. Also attending the meeting were the governors of Zamfara, Niger, Bauchi, Kaduna, Ogun, Plateau, Anambra and Rivers states. They were directed by the NCS to return immediately to their various states to tighten security there, it said. Violent protests have taken place between Muslims and Christians in Kaduna in the north and in towns in Abia State in the southeast following the proposed introduction of Islamic Sharia law. A spokeswoman for the Nigerian NGO, Baobab for Women’s Human Rights, told IRIN on Wednesday that it welcomed the move by the government. “We hope the decision will lead to more progressive developments and discussions and we hope, with the issue put on hold, there won’t be any more violence.” Igbo leaders of a group known as the Ohaneze Ndigbo, said in a statement sent to AFP on Wednesday that the withdrawal was a “very, very happy event because we believe it will bring the crisis created by the promulgation of Sharia laws to an end”. Ahmad Sani, governor of northern Zamfara State, was present at the NCS meeting and said afterwards that the decision to reverse this was now “in the best interests of peace”, although other Muslim leaders said it was too late for a retreat, the ‘Financial Times’ reported on Wednesday. Islamic law formally took effect in Zamfara in January when Sani signed into law two bills proclaiming the legal system and swore in judges for newly created Sharia courts. The governors of two other states, Niger and Sokoto, recently signed bills under which Sharia was expected to come into effect later this year.