The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, has instructed the Chief Imam of Ekiti State, Alhaji Jamiu Kewulere, to dissolve the Sharia panel constituted by the state central mosque.
The Bureau Newspaper had reported that the Independent Shari’ah Arbitration Panel in Ekiti State recently held its first public sitting at the popular Oja Oba Central Mosque, Ado-Ekiti.
This was confirmed to SaharaReporters by residents of the state and Prof. Ishaq Akintola, the Executive Director of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), an Islamic human rights organisation, stating that the inaugural sitting of the Shariah panel was held last Thursday.
The Bureau Newspaper learned further that the panel was presided over by three Kadhis Imam Abdullahi Abdul-Mutolib, Imam Abdulraheem Junaid-Bamigbola, and Dr. Ibrahim Aminullahi-Ogunrinde who entertained two marriage-related disputes.
During the first trial, the head of the panel, Imam Abdullahi Abdul-Mutolib, announced that the dispute between the couple was resolved through a consent judgment.
This resolution was facilitated by earlier interventions from family members, which paved the way for a peaceful settlement.
But the panel adjourned the second trial till January 30 for a continuation hearing. The case involved allegations by a wife accusing her husband of neglecting his marital responsibility.
The panel explained that the adjournment would allow additional investigations to ensure a fair decision.
The sitting of the panel came amid a series of opposition from groups against the implementation of Sharia law in the southwestern region of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the state government, in a statement issued by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dayo Apata, SAN, clarified that the Independent Sharia Arbitration Panel is not part of the state’s judicial structure and will not be permitted within the state.
According to Tribune, during a meeting with the Ewi-in-Council and the leadership of the Muslim community in the state held at his palace, Oba Adejugbe stated that the nation’s current mood does not warrant the establishment of such a panel in the mosque.
The traditional ruler, concerned about the reactions already generated by the existence of the Shari’ah panel in the state, warned that if it is not dissolved, it might lead to an avoidable crisis in society.
He said, “It appears they set up a committee at the central mosque to listen to disputes, and they might have a good intention being an internal arrangement within them.
“But I told them the mood of the nation will not allow that to happen, and that they should revert to how our founding fathers were settling disputes in the past without setting up a special committee or panel.
“The Chief Imam is an intelligent person and a humble man and I have told them to dissolve the committee because if we allow that, the Christian and traditional communities might want to set up their own committee too and before you know it, it will lead to a crisis.
“So, nobody should go ahead with anything of such here and we will monitor them, knowing full well the central mosque is in front of the palace. No Sharia panel in Ekiti state and the one they constituted stands dissolved forthwith.”
Defending the establishment of the Shari’a panel, Kewulere, President of the League of Imams in South West, Edo, and Delta states, denied being influenced by external forces. He explained that the panel was created to intervene in resolving marital and family issues within the mosque, as well as to ensure peaceful coexistence in society.
“We made a committee to settle disputes among couples in the Islamic religion,” he said.
