'Change religion and die' - Nigerian Islamic cleric backs death penalty for apostasy

A senior Nigerian Islamic cleric has triggered a wave of outrage after publicly declaring support for the death penalty for Muslims who leave the faith.

Sheikh Ibrahim Jalingo, National Chairman of the Council of Ulama, made the comments in a Facebook post on Thursday, April 10, defending a controversial Hadith that calls for the killing of apostates.

“Whoever changes his religion, kill him,” Jalingo quoted, insisting the narration aligns with Islamic doctrine and is backed by Qur’anic scripture.

He dismissed those questioning the Hadith’s legitimacy, calling them ignorant of religious teachings.

“The Qur’an is a revelation from Allah, and so is the Hadith,” Jalingo wrote. “Often, the Qur’an addresses matters briefly, while the Hadith comes to elaborate. This Hadith does not contradict the Qur’an—it reinforces it.”

Jalingo cited several verses from the Qur’an—Surah At-Tawbah (9:5), Al-Baqarah (2:193), and An-Nisa’ (4:89 and 4:91)—to argue that Islam mandates severe consequences for apostasy and polytheism, including death in certain situations.

In a pointed rebuttal to critics invoking Qur’an 2:256, “There is no compulsion in religion,” Jalingo claimed the verse had been abrogated by later revelations advocating harsher responses to disbelief.

Cleric suffers backlash

His post also included inflammatory language, accusing his detractors of being “prostitutes and effeminate men,” while hailing his supporters for upholding “true” Islam.

The statement has gone viral, prompting fierce backlash from civil society groups, human rights organisations, and several Islamic scholars who denounced the remarks as extreme and dangerous.

“This rhetoric threatens religious freedom and incites violence,” said one prominent northern cleric who requested anonymity for safety reasons.

Others have called on authorities to investigate the comments for potentially inciting hatred.