The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, has directed the Chief Imam of Ekiti State, Alhaji Jamiu Kewulere, to dissolve the Shari’a arbitration panel recently inaugurated at the central mosque in Ado-Ekiti.
This directive follows a firm position by the Ekiti State Government, which declared the panel as inconsistent with the state’s judicial framework.
The state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Dayo Apata (SAN), had earlier dismissed the Independent Shari’a Arbitration Panel, emphasizing that such panels are not recognized under the state’s legal structure.
According to Apata, Ekiti already has established judicial bodies, including the Customary Court, Customary Court of Appeal, and High Court, which have been effectively addressing disputes relating to Islamic, Christian, and traditional marriages, as well as inheritance.
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The Shari’a panel, comprising three Kadhis—Imam Abdullahi Abdul-Mutolib, Imam Abdulraheem Junaid-Bamigbola, and Dr. Ibrahim Aminullahi-Ogunrinde—had adjudicated on two marriage-related disputes during its inaugural sitting.
However, the Ewi, during a meeting with the Ewi-in-Council and leaders of the Muslim community, expressed concern over the potential for unrest stemming from the existence of such a panel.
“The mood of the nation will not allow that to happen,” Oba Adejugbe remarked. “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 committees too, and before you know it, it will lead to a crisis.”
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“No Shari’a panel in Ekiti State, and the one they constituted stands dissolved forthwith.” He reiterated
The monarch emphasized the need to maintain peace and unity in Ekiti, calling for disputes to be resolved through existing legal frameworks or traditional methods employed by the founding fathers.
In response, Alhaji Jamiu Kewulere defended the establishment of the Shari’a panel, explaining that it was created to address issues such as inheritance and marital disputes within the Muslim community.
“All we want here in Ekiti is peace, we don’t want anything else apart from that,” he said. “Shari’a is not what people say it is. It is a system we use to resolve issues amicably among ourselves to avoid conflicts.”
Despite the defense, the Ewi reiterated that the panel’s dissolution was necessary to preserve harmony across all religious and traditional communities in Ekiti.
The Chief Imam agreed to comply with the directive, assuring the monarch and the state government of his commitment to peace and unity.