Nigerian legal system

Factual Questions
1

No, I haven’t been asked to forward any money for legal expenses.

I was just reading a story about a woman facing criminal charges in Nigeria. Leaving aside the particulars of her case, the article mentioned that Nigeria practices Sharia law. Which I thought was unusual because Nigeria is not a predominantly Muslim country. I checked and found that only 41% of Nigerians are Muslims and 52% are Christians. So is it true that Nigeria has Sharia law and, if it is, how did that happen? Are there any other countries with a non-Muslim majority practicing Sharia law (other than India which I believe has a Sharia system which only applies to Muslims and a non-Sharia system for other people).

2

I believe it’s only the predominantly Muslim states in the north of the country that practice Sharia.

3

I may be mistaken, but this is sorta like asking if all US states have the same laws, in other words, Nigerian muslim “states” can elect to use Sharia, others can use secular codes. Obviously idiotic, but wth.

4

Here’s a map of the Nigerian states that practice Sharia law.

Here’s a story about the attempt to implement Sharia law in a southern state.

This is a major issue in Nigerian national politics, particularly with respect to the federal government trying to prevent the carrying out of such punishments as stoning for adultury or amputation for theft.

5

The article I was reading seemed to imply Sharia law was enforced at a national level in Nigeria. And a search of Wikipedia stated that India was the only country with a dual legal system. So I assumed it was the national system. Thank for enlightening me.