Growing calls from Washington have taken a surprising turn as a leading Africa expert urged United States lawmakers to mount U.S. pressure on Nigeria to abolish Sharia law and disband Hisbah religious police in northern states.
The appeal came during a major congressional briefing on Tuesday, sparking heated reactions within policy circles.
The briefing, held by the House Appropriations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee, drew attention because it focused on mounting violence tied to extremist groups.
It also highlighted claims that some local systems in Nigeria create space for abuses.
This angle made the discussion more intense than many had expected.
Dr. Ebenezer Obadare, Senior Fellow for Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, told lawmakers that violent groups continue to exploit weak structures.
Moreover, he warned that extremists hide behind frameworks tied to Sharia law and Hisbah enforcers to spread fear and force obedience in several northern communities.
Obadare said terrorists “exploit Sharia frameworks and Hisbah officials to impose extremist ideology, enforce forced conversions, and operate with near-total impunity.”
A statement from the Appropriations Committee later confirmed that Obadare presented a clear two-part strategy.
According to the statement, he said: “The policy goal should be two-fold: first, work with the Nigerian military to neutralise Boko Haram.
Second, the United States should put pressure on President Tinubu to make Sharia law unconstitutional in the twelve northern states where they have been adopted since 2000 and to disband the various Hisbah groups across northern states seeking to impose Islamic law on all citizens regardless of their religious identity.”
He noted that the Nigerian government often responds when the United States gets involved.
“As recent events have shown, the Nigerian authorities are not impervious to incentives,” he added, stressing that “Washington must keep up the pressure.”
Furthermore, lawmakers at the session repeatedly accused Nigerian authorities of not doing enough to stop what they described as “religious cleansing” across the north and the Middle Belt.
Witnesses listed several recent incidents, including the November 22 abduction of schoolchildren and teachers from St Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State.
They also pointed to continued blasphemy-law cases and widespread killings.
Obadare emphasised the root causes. “The deadliest and most serious threat confronting the Nigerian state today is jihadist terror, perpetrated by the Islamist group Boko Haram,” he said.
He reminded the committee that the group’s ideology is clear. “Boko Haram translates to ‘Western education is forbidden.’
Boko Haram’s barbarous and implacable campaign to overthrow the Nigerian state and establish an Islamic caliphate in its stead is the source of Nigeria’s present discontents,” he noted.
He warned that “every proposal to solve the Nigerian crisis that does not take seriously the need to radically degrade and ultimately eliminate Boko Haram as a fighting force is a non-starter.”
Rep. Chris Smith called Nigeria “ground zero” for global anti-Christian persecution.
In addition, Rep. Brian Mast urged U.S. authorities to push for militia disarmament and more arrests.
Officials such as USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler and ADF International’s Sean Nelson also pushed for stronger tools.
They backed early-warning systems, targeted sanctions, and tougher conditions on aid.
Meanwhile, Appropriations Vice Chair Mario Díaz-Balart announced that the committee is drafting a formal report for President Trump.
The document will list new recommendations, which may include stronger U.S. pressure on Nigeria through aid-related conditions.
