The Sharia Invasion – A Northern Agenda Poses an Existential Threat to Yoruba Land

By Ademola Adekusibe,
The Yoruba Times
Editorial Board

The war for Yoruba land has already begun. And it is not being fought with guns, it is being fought with religion. For decades, Yorubaland has been the beacon of religious tolerance in Nigeria, a region where Muslims and Christians have coexisted, traded, and intermarried without the kind of sectarian violence that has torn other parts of the country apart. Traditional rulers have presided over a society where law is secular, and faith is personal, where the Oba’s court remains the ultimate arbiter of justice, and where the mosque and the church stand side by side without animosity. But now, that delicate balance, that hard-won harmony, is under siege.

The push for Sharia law in the South-West is not a grassroots movement. It is not a product of local demand or a spontaneous expression of religious devotion. It is a calculated agenda, a political weapon disguised as piety, designed to erode Yoruba cultural autonomy and destabilise the region’s long-standing religious harmony. Let us not be naive. The forces behind this agenda are not interested in religious freedom. They are interested in expansion. They see Yorubaland as the next frontier for political and religious control, a fertile ground for the extension of a foreign legal system that has no roots in our history, our traditions, or our way of life. And they are using Sharia as a battering ram.

This is not about Islam. This is about power. This is about control. This is about ensuring that Yoruba land becomes an extension of a foreign ideology that has no place in our society. The North has long sought to export its religious and political models to other parts of Nigeria, and Yorubaland is now squarely in its crosshairs. The strategy is clear: use religion to divide, to conquer, and to subjugate. And it is being executed with the complicity of some of our own leaders who have sold their souls for political favour, who have traded our heritage for a seat at the table, who have chosen personal gain over the collective good.

We are not afraid to say it: the North is exporting Sharia to Yorubaland, and it is doing so with the quiet approval of those who should know better. This is not a conspiracy theory. It is a documented reality, a pattern of behaviour that has been observed in other regions where Sharia has been imposed. Once it gains a foothold, it is nearly impossible to dislodge. And once it is entrenched, it becomes a tool for the marginalisation of non-Muslims, the erosion of women’s rights, and the suppression of dissent.

We call on Yoruba leaders, traditional rulers, and religious institutions to wake up from their slumber. We call on them to resist this encroachment with every fibre of their being. We call on them to defend our autonomy, our identity, and our future. The time for diplomacy is over. The time for action is now. The debate over Sharia in the South-West will not fade away. It will intensify as the 2027 elections approach, and when it does, The Yoruba Times will be on the front lines, exposing every threat to our land and our people. We will not be silent. We will not bow. We will not surrender our heritage to foreign agendas disguised as faith.

Yoruba land is not for sale. Yoruba culture is not a bargaining chip. Yoruba identity will not be erased. We are not afraid to speak the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. The Yoruba people have a proud history of resistance, and we will not allow that history to be rewritten by those who seek to subjugate us. This is not a religious war. It is a war for our survival as a people.

We will fight it with every tool at our disposal: with our words, with our votes, and with our unwavering commitment to the principles that have defined us for centuries.