Is apostasy illegal in Nigeria?
Criminal offense
Apostasy is a crime in 12 northern Nigerian states under Sharia law, though not federally.
Nigeria is one of 9 countries classified “Criminal offense” for apostasy — 29% of the 31 with data. (Also searched as leaving a religion.)
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Apostasy in Islam by country
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Libya
- Death penalty possible Atheism is prohibited and can carry the death penalty, with Sharia law serving as the basis for legislation.
- Algeria
- Criminal offense Apostasy is a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment or fines in Algeria.
- Sudan
- Legal The death penalty for apostasy was scrapped in July 2020 during the transition to democracy.
- Mauritania
- Death penalty possible Article 306 of the criminal code declares apostasy illegal and provides a death sentence.
- Tunisia
- Legal The 2014 Constitution prohibits accusations of apostasy, protecting citizens from prosecution for renouncing Islam.
- Morocco
- Legal The penal code does not impose the death penalty, and a previous fatwa calling for it was retracted.
Other laws in Nigeria
- Blasphemy Laws
- Criminal offense
- Holocaust Denial
- No specific law
- Flag Desecration
- Criminal offense
- Conversion Therapy
- No ban
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.