There is one uncomfortable question that keeps returning whenever Nigeria discusses Boko Haram, ISWAP and other jihadist attacks:
If extremists can kill fellow Muslims in mosques, what makes anyone else safe?
This question deserves an honest answer—not political correctness, religious propaganda or selective outrage.
Let us be clear from the beginning: Islam is not synonymous with terrorism, and Muslims as a people should not be collectively blamed for the crimes of extremist organisations. But Boko Haram, ISWAP and similar jihadist groups have repeatedly claimed Islamic justification for their violence, while their victims have included large numbers of Muslims.
In fact, some of the most disturbing attacks have occurred in mosques and Muslim communities.
The recent incident in Sokoto has once again brought this uncomfortable reality to the forefront.
An Islamic cleric, Musa Lukwa, was reportedly attacked shortly after leading Friday prayers at his mosque in the Mabera area of Sokoto metropolis. According to the Sokoto State Police Command, the cleric was stabbed twice in the neck before worshippers intervened. The alleged attacker was subsequently overpowered and killed during the ensuing violence.
The incident immediately raises a disturbing question:
What kind of religious disagreement becomes so extreme that a Muslim can attack another Muslim immediately after Friday prayers?
And if someone is prepared to regard another Muslim as an enemy worthy of violence because of differences in interpretation, sect, preaching or religious principles, what happens when that person encounters a Christian whom they already consider an infidel?
That is the question Nigerians must not be afraid to ask.
Extremism Does Not Always Stop at the Door of the Mosque
History and contemporary terrorism both demonstrate that religious extremists can turn their weapons against people within their own broader religious community.
Boko Haram and ISWAP have attacked Muslims who refused to accept their ideology. Mosques have been bombed. Muslim traditional and religious leaders have been murdered. Muslim communities have been displaced and devastated.
This should not surprise anyone familiar with the history of religious and political conflict.
The killing of Uthman ibn Affan, the third caliph, occurred during internal Muslim conflict. The subsequent conflicts surrounding Ali ibn Abi Talib, his son Hasan, and the killing of Husayn at Karbala became defining episodes in Islamic history.
These historical events should not be casually equated with modern jihadist terrorism. They occurred in very different political and historical circumstances. But they demonstrate one undeniable fact:
Muslims have never been a monolithic community in which everyone has always agreed on religious interpretation, authority or leadership.
That is precisely why modern Nigeria must be extremely careful about allowing religious disagreement to become a question of life and death.
So Where Does Sharia Fit Into This?
This brings us to the Nigerian debate over Sharia.
Nigeria is a religiously diverse country. Christians and Muslims live alongside followers of traditional African religions and people who practise no religion. The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion while Nigeria's federal structure provides for different legal arrangements, including Sharia courts and Sharia criminal codes in parts of the North.
But my position is clear:
No to the expansion of Sharia criminal law in Nigeria.
Why?
Because Nigeria's greatest challenge is not a shortage of religious laws. It is a shortage of effective institutions, justice, security and equal protection under the law.
A Nigerian citizen should not have to worry that his or her fundamental rights depend on religious interpretation or geographical location.
And history should teach us something important: where human beings disagree passionately about religion, giving political power to enforce one interpretation can create dangerous consequences.
The answer is not to criminalise Islam or demonise Muslims.
The answer is to protect every Nigerian equally.
If a Christian is murdered, justice.
If a Muslim is murdered, justice.
If a traditional worshipper is murdered, justice.
If an atheist is murdered, justice.
The state must not choose whose life matters more.
Nigeria Must Choose the Rule of Law
The real enemy is not the ordinary Muslim worshipping peacefully in a mosque.
The real enemy is extremism that transforms religious disagreement into justification for violence.
And the real danger is any political or religious system that allows one group to believe that it possesses an exclusive right to determine who deserves to live, who deserves to worship freely and who deserves punishment.
So the question remains:
If an extremist can kill his fellow Muslim in a mosque because he believes that Muslim's interpretation is wrong, why should a Christian assume that the same extremist ideology will respect his life?
Nigeria must confront this question honestly.
No selective outrage.
No religious double standards.
No politics of fear.
One country. One Constitution. One standard of justice. Equal protection for every Nigerian.
That is the Nigeria we should defend.
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