A former Grand Khadi of the Kwara State Sharia Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice Solihu Muhammad (rtd ) has called on the federal government to amend the 1999 Constitution to expand the jurisdiction of Shari’a Court of Appeal beyond Islamic personal law matters.
He said the current limited jurisdiction of the Sharia Court has denied many Muslim litigants access to justice under Islamic jurisprudence.
Muhammad made the call during an interview with LEADERSHIP in Ilorin.
He said the Sharia Court of Appeal is currently restricted to hearing appeals on matters relating to Islamic personal law, including marriage, divorce, inheritance and guardianship, leaving them without jurisdiction over other civil disputes involving Muslims.
He argued that the court should be empowered to determine broader Islamic civil matters where parties voluntarily submit to their jurisdiction.
“We are asking the government to amend the Constitution to allow us to hear more civil matters involving Muslims. Our jurisdiction has never been expanded, and that remains our greatest challenge,” he said.
Muhammad noted that while courts operating under the common law system exercise broader jurisdiction over civil disputes, Sharia Court of Appeal remains constitutionally limited, despite being court of record established by the Constitution.
