The Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, on Saturday, ordered the dissolution of the Sharia panel set up at the Central Mosque, Ado Ekiti in the interest of peaceful coexistence and law and order in the community.

Adejugbe spoke in Ado Ekiti during a meeting he held with the chiefs and indigenes of the community and the Chief Imam and President of the League of Imams and Alfas in the Southwest, Edo and Delta states, Sheik Jamiu Kewulere; and other Muslim leaders in Ado Ekiti over tension in some quarters over the sharia panel issue.

This came barely two days after the state government said that the existing legal structure in the state did not recognise the Sharia Court or Sharia Arbitration Panel.

The state Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Dayo Apata, (SAN) had spoken in reaction to news reports stipulating the first public sitting of a Shari’ah Panel in the state which resolved two marriage disputes.

He had said that the legal structure in Ekiti State (i.e. Customary Court, Customary Court of Appeal and High Court) had been handling issues relating to Islamic, Christian and traditional marriages and inheritance without any rancour or agitation.

Adejugbe said, “Based on this Sharia issue, I summoned the Chief Imam and his lieutenants, members of the Ewi-in-Council, the president of Ado Progressives Union and Ado sons and daughters to discuss the matter because it is a sensitive issue.

“We all listened and it appears they set up a committee at the Central Mosque with the intention to listen to disputes. According to them, they have good intentions and it was an internal arrangement that has nothing to do with any external person or somebody influencing them.

“I told them the mood of the nation will not allow such to happen now, that they should revert to how the founding fathers of the mosque had been settling disputes in the past without setting up a committee.

“I told them that there is no need for the committee and they should dissolve the committee henceforth. That is the decision of the Ewi-in-Council and that is the position of all Ado sons and daughters.

“The panel stands dissolved. If we should allow such committees, the Christians too will want to set up committees in their various churches, the traditional worshippers too and before you know it, it will lead to crises.”

Speaking earlier, the Chief Imam, Kewulere, who confirmed setting up the committee, which he said had resolved a marriage dispute and adjourned on a second matter, dismissed all insinuations that it was set up for sinister motives.

Kewulere, who said that Muslims and adherents of other religions had been enjoying cordial relationships, said, “Basically, the committee is to look into matters of inheritance in the interest of our members.”

He dismissed insinuations that it was to create crisis and he dismissed any external influence or link.

Mr Egunjobi directed that the mosque be sealed to prevent breakdown of public peace and order.

The Agege Local Government Area of Lagos State has sealed a popular mosque called ‘Mosalasi Alhaja‘over a leadership dispute following the demise of the chief imam

The Executive Chairman of Agege Local Government, Ganiyu Egunjobi, issued the directive in a statement on Saturday.

The tension arose following a disagreement between the family of the late Chief Imam, Sheikh Habib Abdulmajid, and his deputy, Sheikh Mustapha Muktar.

Mr Egunjobi directed that the mosque be sealed to prevent breakdown of public peace and order.

He said that the order, which takes immediate effect, was also intended to avert conflict caused by rivalry within the Hausa community in the area.

The council chairman, who visited the mosque to ensure that his directive was obeyed, said that adequate security would be provided to ensure the area remained calm and peaceful.

He stated, however, that the parties involved in the conflict would be invited to a stakeholders’ meeting to resolve the leadership crisis and restore normality.

The five Southeastern states in Nigeria collectively contributed N101.09 billion to the country’s Value Added Tax (VAT) pool in 2024 and received a staggering share of N341.45 billion in return.

According to data compiled by Agora Policy, a Nigerian think tank committed to finding practical solutions to national challenges, Lagos contributed 54% of the total non-import VAT, while 33 states collectively accounted for 19%.

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) were responsible for VAT collections during the year.

Out of the N6.72 trillion total VAT generated, FIRS collected N5.13 trillion, accounting for 76.3% of the pool, while NCS contributed N1.59 trillion, representing 23.7%.

Official figures revealed that VAT revenue for 2024 increased by 85%, rising from N3.64 trillion in 2023 to N6.72 trillion.

While the Southeastern states contributed relatively little to the VAT pool, the region received approximately 3.38 times their contributions.