Barely 48 hours to the full take-off of Sharia in Borno State, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the state has reiterated its opposition to the Islamic legal code.
It has, therefore, warned that it might be forced to resort to constitutional and legal means to stop the government from implementing the code.
The government fixed June 1 as the date for the full take-off of the law in state in line with the recommendations of the Islamic Sharia Legal Implementation and Monitoring Committee which submitted its report last April.
Preparatory to the take-off of the code, the state capital, Maiduguri has been cleared of statues, which are considered idolatry. For instance, the Eagle which is facing the Government House has been demolished, so also is the effigy of a man on a horse which adorn the old "Welcome to Maiduguri" post as well as the fishes on the Popular West end roundabout.
Briefing journalists yesterday, state chairman of CAN Filibus Gwama described the proposed implementation of the Sharia as undemocratic, unconstitutional and religious oppression.
Gwama accused the government of ignoring the views of the Christians in the state on the issue, saying that no Christian was on the Sharia Committee.
The association, he said, submitted a memorandum to government pointing out the error, but it (memorandum) was ignored.
The CAN boss added that "memoranda from Concerned Christians objecting to the adoption of Sharia in Borno State were trashed.
"The report of the Sharia Implementation Committee was not made public by government to allow CAN and other concerned parties that submitted memoranda, expressing strong dissent to the adoption of Sharia to defend their submissions before a bill on that matter was presented to the Borno State House of Assembly by the government," the cleric claimed.
He said that decisions on such controversial and sensitive religious issue as the adoption of Sharia for the state could not be properly, fairly and justly made without their (Christians) involvement.
"The Sharia legal system to be implemented was not, therefore, validly made. In the process, the Borno State government, the initiator and the executor of the project did not tolerate dissident and diversity of views and opinions on the issue, even though it was conscious of the religious diversity in the state.
"Sharia was not adopted through honest, sincere and democratic discussion and consultations with all concerned parties. There was no fair and open debate and consensus of opinions by the two dominant religions in the state," Gwama said.