U.S sanctions: I’m not surprised – Sheikh Gumi says as 12 northern governors keep mum

The United States government has threatened sanctions against some Nigerian northern governors, judges, traditional rulers, and Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi over alleged promotion of blasphemy laws and tolerance of religious violence.

A proposed legislation before the US Congress seeks to penalize Nigerian officials accused of “promoting, enacting, or maintaining blasphemy laws” or “tolerating violence by non-state actors invoking religious justification.”

Under the bill, the US Secretary of State is expected to submit a report within 90 days of its passage, listing officials who could face visa bans, asset freezes, and financial restrictions under Executive Order 13818 — part of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability framework.

The proposed law also extends to “Judges, magistrates, prison officials, or other judicial or law enforcement authorities who have enforced blasphemy laws, including through prosecution, conviction, imprisonment, or other deprivation of liberty of individuals pursuant to such laws.”

The reporting period, as defined in the bill, covers 10 years preceding the enactment of the legislation and continues annually thereafter, ensuring that both past and ongoing violations are subject to scrutiny.

The bill singles out 12 northern states, Zamfara, Kano, Sokoto, Katsina, Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Kebbi, Yobe, Kaduna, Niger, and Gombe, where Sharia law has been expanded to include criminal and public morality provisions since 1999.

It describes the implementation of Sharia-based blasphemy laws as discriminatory, particularly against Christians and minority groups, and accuses some northern political and religious figures of encouraging “a culture of impunity” around mob justice and religious intolerance.

Enactment of Shari’a Law in northern Nigeria

Sharia, derived from Islamic jurisprudence, has long existed as a system of personal, moral, and communal regulation among Muslim communities in northern Nigeria.

The major turning point came between 1999 and 2000, shortly after Nigeria’s return to civilian rule, when several northern states, beginning with Zamfara under Governor Ahmad Sani Yerima, expanded Sharia’s jurisdiction to include criminal law and public morality.

Within two years, about 12 northern states had adopted similar Sharia-based penal codes and established parallel Sharia courts alongside existing secular courts.