The Christian Association of Nigeria has urged the Federal Government to implement the recent ruling by the ECOWAS Court of Justice, which declared certain provisions of Kano State’s blasphemy laws as contrary to international human rights standards.
In a landmark ruling on Friday, the ECOWAS Court found that sections of the Kano State Penal and Sharia Penal Codes—including the death penalty for blasphemy under Section 382(b)—violate Nigeria’s commitments to regional and global human rights frameworks.
The court ordered the government to repeal or amend such provisions to comply with these obligations.
According to The PUNCH, the Chairman of CAN for the 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory, Reverend John Hayab, insisted that Nigeria must uphold its international legal commitments as a signatory to ECOWAS treaties.
“Our President is currently the Chairman of ECOWAS. If we now choose which court decisions to honour, we are sending the wrong signal to the international community,” Hayab said. “No state is above the federal constitution, and no law—whether Christian or Muslim—should contradict it.”
He added that state governments must not use religion as a shield against the constitution and called for all religious laws to be tested against the nation’s collective legal framework.
“If any Christian law contradicts the Constitution or international treaties Nigeria is bound to, I would support its abolishment,” he said. “We must put national interest and unity above religious sentiment.”
However, the Kano State Government has rejected the ECOWAS Court’s decision.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Garba Waiya, the state asserted its constitutional right to enact laws in line with its people’s religious and moral values.
“Kano State has a duty to protect the peace and religious values of its citizens. These laws reflect the will of our people and will remain in place,” Waiya said.
In response, rights advocacy group Rivers in the Desert Nigeria (RID Nigeria) called on the Kano State Government to comply with the court’s decision, describing the law as unconstitutional and divisive.
“It is unreasonable for any state in a pluralistic society like Nigeria to enforce religious laws that undermine constitutional rights and freedoms,” said Adekunle James, Executive Director of RID Nigeria.
He urged the Federal Government to ensure full compliance with the ECOWAS ruling and encouraged Kano State to pursue policies that promote peaceful coexistence and development, citing examples from Muslim-majority nations like Morocco and the UAE.
Both CAN and RID Nigeria stressed that placing religious laws above constitutional order could threaten Nigeria’s unity.
“We were Nigerians before we became anything else,” Rev. Hayab emphasized. “The strength of Nigeria lies in our unity, and that unity must be protected by upholding the rule of law.”
