Sharia law applies in 12 northern states of Nigeria.

Omissions

• The 12 states are Muslim-majority states in the north; the claim's geographic scope ('northern states') is accurate.
• The companion assertion in the original speech that 'the influence of radical Islamic circles is constantly growing' is a political/judgmental claim not covered by this verification.
• USCIRF and HRW sources predate the session by years (2004-2020s), but the fact is a stable legal-institutional datum; the most recent US State Department report (covering 2022) still confirms exactly 12 states.

Sources

• PrimaryUS Department of State — 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: NigeriaIn addition to civil courts, sharia courts function in 12 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory. Customary courts function in most of the 36 states.
• PrimaryUS Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) — Shari'ah Criminal Law in Northern NigeriaDuring the same time period, 12 northern Nigerian states have also re-integrated Islamic criminal law in various ways. While the Shari'ah laws are based on ...
• SecondaryHuman Rights Watch — IV. The extension of Shari'a to criminal law in NigeriaBy 2002, twelve states had adopted some form of Shari'a into their criminal legislation: Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto and Zamfara.