The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has appealed to the National Judicial Council (NJC) to appoint Shari’ah experts into Courts of Appeal to enable informed and balanced dispensation of justice.
The appeal was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday, 4th February, 2026 by the Executive Director of the Islamic human rights group, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
The statement reads: “For whereas the Nigerian Constitution provides for Shari’ah Courts of Appeal in Nigeria to be manned by those who are learned in Islamic Law, there has been no Shari’ah panel in the Court of Appeal for the past seven years.
”The same applies to the Supreme Court which also lacks adequate personnel for Shari’ah matters particularly since the exit of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad (2019-2022).
”Information reaching us affirms that the Court of Appeal of Nigeria has no Shari’ah panel to hear and determine matters of Islamic Law from the Shari’ah Court of Appeal of states practicing Shari’ah. Ditto for the Supreme Court.
”We stand to be corrected but it has been alleged that there is only one Shari’ah law expert in the entire Court of Appeal of Nigeria while there is none in the Supreme Court.
”This development has often caused unnecessary delay in the determination of Shari’ah-related matters while miscarriage of justice cannot be entirely ruled out if this trend continues.
”We are constrained to express deep disappointment over this phenomenon particularly because Nigeria is replete with Shari’ah experts of different categories. It is therefore strange to learn that the highest institutions for the dispensation of Justice has been stinted of qualified personnel.
”We are equally alarmed that only one out of the 49 allegedly shortlisted candidates is a Shari’ah expert in the recruitment exercise recently conducted. Yet the single Shari’ah candidate was picked out of a long list of Qadis from different jurisdictions.
”MURIC appeals to the NJC to look into this with a view to ensuring that the only candidate shortlisted for Shari’ah is considered.
”By the same token, we appeal to the NJC to appoint qualified Muslims who are well versed in Islamic Law in its subsequent process of elevation to the Appellate Courts. This is because being a Muslim judge of the Appeal Court does not qualify one to determine matters relating to the Shari’ah which is an entirely different discipline.”
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