The governor gave the warning following the circulation of a digital notice announcing the launch of a Sharia Court in Ogun State.
The government, in a statement personally signed by the governor, said Sharia Courts could not be legally constituted by individuals or groups without legal backing..
Governor Abiodun said Ogun State only recognised courts established through the legal framework of the Nigerian Constitution, adding that a Sharia Court did not form part of the legal framework operating in the state.
The statement reads: “Ogun State Government has noted the circulation of a digital notice announcing the launch of a Sharia Court in Ogun State.
“No Sharia Court is authorised to operate within Ogun State. The courts that are legally empowered to adjudicate disputes arising within Ogun State are those established by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or by state laws, which are: Magistrates’ Courts, High Court, Customary Courts, Customary Court of Appeal, Federal High Court, National Industrial Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court.
“No law operating in Ogun State has established a Sharia Court, and Sharia law does not form part of the legal framework by which Ogun State Government administers and governs society.
“Ogun State Government upholds and protects the rights of individuals to practise the religion of their choice, or to subscribe to no religion, and recognises the freedom of individuals to apply their faith in their personal and private matters.
“However, this freedom does not extend to the formation of unauthorised assemblies or institutions. No individual or group is legally permitted to constitute a court or present themselves to the public as a court without legal backing. Those behind that notice have no legal backing. They cannot set up a court or administer justice by fiat or public notice.”