THE POLITICS OF SHARIA IMPLEMENTATION IN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF KADUNA STATE (1999-2013)

ABSTRACT

Since 1978 the controversy for Sharia implementation had become a serious issue in Nigerian politics. It continued to be a subject of debate and politicking during the Second Republic, in the nineteen eighties (1980‟s).There was also a revisit of Sharia Law implementation controversy in 1999, with the declaration of Sharia by Senator Ahmed Sani Yeriman Bakura in Zamfara State.Some northen States later followed suit and formed various committees and tasked them with the responsibilities of initiating modalities for the implementation of Sharia Law. This study examines the politics of Sharia implementation in Kaduna State..The complex political, religious and ethnic characters had genered intra and inter religious rivalries and eventual struggle for power and dominance among other things. This is manifested in varius crisis that happened in the State:The inter play of so many factors had by no means transformed into what has become the Sharia frictions,where the protagonists and antagonists of the full Sharia Law implementation agitations were set up against each other. Available evidences proved that the disturbances were framed by some notable political elites.The study utilized both the primary and secondary data for the discriptive analysis. Some of the findings of this study are: the crisis is linked to the persistent southern Kaduna religious and political elites incessant struggle for power and recognition, the crisis was pre-planned and orchestrated by religious and polical elites, the government of Kaduna State had resolved the crisis through dialogue and reform measures that saw to the introduction of tripartite legal system, the creation of more chiefdoms and districts in both northern and southern Kaduna and partiall Sharia Law implementation. Similarly, the crisis created mutual mistrust between Muslims and Christians and segmentation of settlements on the basis of religion in Kaduna metroplolis and its environs.moreso, the 2002 Sharia Law is diversionary and counter productive,the politics of the Sharia Law implementation is part of the larger politics of Kaduna State and Nigeria Religious pluralism affected the chances of implementing full Sharia Law in Kaduna State.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

The implementation of Sharia Law in twelve (12) Northern States in the wake of Nigeria‘s return to democratic rule in 1999 represents a significant epoch in the history of Nigeria. The development was set in motion by the official adoption of Sharia Codes by the government of Zamfara State. The Northern States that followed the foot steps of Zamfara are: Jigawa, Bauchi, Yobe, Gombe, Borno, Sokoto, Niger, Katsina, Kano, Kebbi and Kaduna State.

The Muslims of Kaduna State equally demanded an enactment of Sharia Law in views of its importance and democratic right. Muslims had the belief that the implementation of Sharia Law could equally lead to checkmating the excesses of the political elites. On the other hand the Christian followers were made to misconceive the Sharia project as a tactical scheming for domination and Islamizing Kaduna State and thus resisted it.

Demographically, the people of Kaduna State are divided into the followership of Islam and Christianity. In this regard, the disturbances that occurred in the 1980‘s and beyond— the Kafanchan riot of 1987 which started in College of Education and spilled over to many parts of the State and the Zangon Kataf crisis of 1992 over the purported relocation of market place could not be isolated from the complex political, religious and ethnic character of the State.

Kaduna State Government had to grapple with Muslims contentious agitation for Sharia implementation and Christian opposition against Sharia Law implementation. This necessitated government‘s decision to consider the inevitable need for reforms, which include enactment of the existing Sharia Law in the State.This, was to seemingly serve as a balanced political strategy for resolving the crisis that polarized the State along religious line. This study examines the politics of Sharia Law implementation in Nigeria, and Kaduna State in particular,where Muslims are having a majority in two senatorial Zones: Zone one and two, while Christians are dominant in zone three respectively. The southern Kaduna Christian elites had a long struggle for getting access to power and recognition because of perceived marginalization and segregation by the Muslim elites of northern Kaduna. This brought them into alliance with forces outside the State to launch an onslaught against Muslims in order to fulfill a long ambition for the acclaimed liberation from the Northern Kaduna domination under the cover of Sharia Law implementation controversy in the State. The unprecedented crisis created far-reaching consequences and record human and material loses in the State. The intensity and coordination of the Sharia crisis portrays the extent to which political elites manipulate religion for the mobilization of followers for achieving political goals. The crisis affects group relations of Muslims and Christians. The different faiths, ethnic groups and tribes of Kaduna State enmeshed into one another. It‘s necessary that the differnt groups should understand their differences and shun political elites divisive campaigns in the name of religion. The southern Kaduna grievances and persistent agitations against the Emirate rule, especially in 1967 when the peasants Baju and Atyab (Kataf) were mobilized to resist the appointments of outsiders as district heads. The Emir of Zazzau conceded to the appointment of Bala Ade Dauke Gora as the first Christian indigenous district head of Zangon- Kataf in 1967. The grievances of the the southern Kaduna were to a large extent historic, as the alleged claim of domination and hegemony of the Hausa and Fulani of the northern part of Kaduna which dated back to the pre independence era when the minority ethnic groups of the then southern Zaria was used by the Emirs as slave raiding camp. Coupled with the imposition of district heads, who did not know much about their distinct cultures, values, religion and unequal terms of trade on agricultural commodities. The southern Kaduna minority ethnic groups claimed that are were treated as second class citizens and deprived of basic infrastructural facilities and menities on religious ground by the majority Muslim Hausa and Fulani settlers in Kaduna State.( Yahaya A. 2012)

The ethnic minority agitations and politics heightened when the southern Zaria intellectuals addressed themselves as southern Kaduna people in written petition to the Emir of Zazzau in 1984. When peaceful agitations and demands bcame increasingly counter productive exercise the political elites thus resort to the use of violent revolts as the potent strategy for achieving their historic self aggrandizement. (Yahaya A. 2012). The politics of Sharia implementation in Kaduna State is by and large part of the complex social and political character and realities of the State.

1.2    Statement of the Research Problem

This study seeks to analyze the politics of the Sharia Law implementation in Nigeria, taking Kaduna State as a case study in order to unearth the connection between the grudges by the minority groups and the existing socio political structure in the country/State as a well as the role played by the religious and political elites in the competition for power in the national political space through the mobilization of sentiments in support for and, or,against the implementation of Islamic Sharia especially in Kaduna State. Suffice to say, twelve out of the nineteen northern States implemented Sharia. Why then, Kaduna experienced crisis that claimed thousands of lives and record destructions of properties, with over one hundred and twenty five thousand people (125, 000.00) people displaced. Kaduna is not the only northern State with a large non Muslim population. The Sharia question underscore the inter-connection of local and national political elites contestations for political space and recognition in an arena where identity politics is utilized by the political elites in Nigeria.

1.3 Research    Questions

For the purpose of the study, the following questions are raised:

• What is the relationship between the 2000 Sharia crisis and the politics of Kaduna State?
• How did religious and political elites coordinate the 2000 Sharia crisis in Kaduna State?
• What is the connection of 2000 Sharia crisis to the national politics?
• How did the government of Kaduna State manage the 2000 Sharia crisis?
• What was the impact of the 2000 Sharia Law implementation crisis on the group relations of Muslims and Christians in Kaduna State

1.4 Research   Objectives

The main objective of this work is to examine the politics and intrigues of formulation and implemention of 2002 Sharia legal sysem in Kaduna State The specific objectives are:

• To describe the nature of minority groups grudges against the socio ploilitical structure in Kaduna State.
• To determine the scale of politics at local, State and national levels as well as religious –political alliances there in.
• To examine the nature and content of grievances and agitations of both advocates and antagonists of Sharia implementation in Kaduna State.
• To analyse the extent of manipulation of the Sharia advocacy, implementation and resistence to it respectively by the religious and political elites involved.
• To examine the impact of the 2000 Sharia crisis on the group relations of Muslims and Christians in Kaduna State.

1.5         Assumptions

For the purpose of this study the following propositions shall be looked into:

• The 2000 Sharia Law implementation crisis buttressed the extension of religious and political elites struggle for power and recognition under the guise of minority agitations for equal rights in Kaduna State.
• The 2000 Sharia crisis was orchestrated by the mischief of religious leaders and forces from wihin and out side Kaduna State.
• The introduction of tripartite legal system, partial Sharia Law implementation and creation of more districts and chiefdoms in both northern and Southern Kaduna had resolved the Sharia crisis of 2000 in Kaduna State.
• The religious pluralism of Kaduna State affected the chances of full Sharia Law implementation as demanded by the Muslims in the State.
• The 2000 Sharia crisis intensified segmented settlements along religious lines and mutual mistrust between Christians and Muslims in Kaduna State.

1.6   Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study focuses on the politics of Sharia implemention in a plural society-Kaduna State. The ethnic, tribal and religious pluralism makes politics of Sharia Law implementation complex. The southern senatorial zone is dominated by non Muslims and the other two senatorial zones are are dominated by Muslims respectively.This study addressed related developments and issues that culminated to shape the Sharia project and makes it a worth while subject for scholarly debate, discourses and empirical study. The crisis that preceded the implementation of the 2002 Sharia Law, the management of the controversy by the government in power and the impact of the religious and political elites involvement in the crisis are fundamental to this study.

1.7 Justification/Significance of the Study

The politics of the Sharia Law implementation could only be understood when the role of the key players to the crisis are known. The Sharia crisis is linked to the politics of the State. Discourses of the Sharia Sharia Law implementation revolved around group interests of Muslims and Christians—– the feasibility and problems of implementing the Sharia Law in a plural society. There is the need to go beyond this point in order to provide a clear picture of the realities that remained obscured. The inter connection of forces to the Sharia crisis buttressed the complex political, religious and ethnic character of Kaduna State and Nigeria. The empirical study of the Sharia project addressed the issues that are very vital but yet, over looked because of the diversionary and of course political elite manipulation of the Sharia crisis for obvious political gain. For intent and practical purposes the 2000 Sharia crisis affected group relations of Muslims and Christians. There is therefore the need to explore the dynamics of the crisis and the possible involment of destalizing forces with selfish agendas.

1.8         Chapterization

This thesis is divided into six chapters, sections and sub-sections. Chapter One serves as the introductory part of the research work. It contains the Introduction, Statement of research problem, research questions, research objectives, assumptions, scope and limitations of the study, justification and significance of the study and organization of chapters. Chapter Two consists of literature review and theoretical frame work. Similarly, the methodology of this research work is discussed in Chapter Three. In the same vein, Chapter Four contains the analysis of the promulgation process of the 2002 Sharia Law implementation in Kaduna State—- with presentation of data on the opinions of Muslims and Christians on the agitations for full Sharia Law implementation in the State. In addition to the above, Chapter Five of this work focuses on the Politics of Sharia Law implementation in Kaduna State. Chapter Six, is meant for the summary, conclusion and recommendations respectively. References and Appendixes are reflected at the end of the work

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