Nigerian lawyer Asukwo Mendie Archibong Esq. has called for scrutiny of statements attributed to Yoruba Islamic cleric Shafiy Adeba, who is alleged to have said Muslims have a “right” to enslave non-Muslims and declared a war against those he described as “infidels.” Archibong, reacting to the remarks, criticized former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for what he described as a failure to condemn radical interpretations of Islam. He also urged the Nigeria Police Force to investigate the cleric’s reported statements.
“Not all Muslim clerics, but always a Muslim cleric,” Archibong wrote in a statement accompanying a video of Adeba. He alleged that the cleric was calling for violence against non-Muslims and questioned why law enforcement authorities had not intervened.
The allegations come against the backdrop of Nigeria’s long history of religious and communal tensions. The country is almost evenly divided between Muslims and Christians, with significant religious diversity within and outside the predominantly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south. Religious identity has intersected with political, ethnic and economic disputes for decades.
Historically, slavery existed in parts of West Africa before and during the trans-Atlantic slave trade, involving multiple African societies and external powers. Islamic scholarship and political systems in parts of West Africa also interacted with various forms of servitude. However, modern international law prohibits slavery and incitement to violence, while Nigeria’s Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and prohibits discrimination on religious grounds.
Nigeria has also faced decades of violence by extremist organizations, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, particularly in the northeast. Those conflicts have killed and displaced large numbers of people and intensified concerns about religiously framed incitement.
Archibong’s comments appear to distinguish between ordinary Muslim worshippers and what he considers extremist clerical rhetoric. He called on authorities to examine the statements attributed to Adeba and take appropriate action if they violate Nigerian law. The authenticity, context and full circumstances surrounding the video should be independently established before definitive conclusions are drawn. The Nigeria Police Force had not publicly announced an investigation into the cleric at the time of publication.
