The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, has directed the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs to dissolve the Sharia arbitration panel recently established at the Ado-Ekiti Central Mosque. The monarch issued the directive during a meeting on Saturday with the Chief Imam of Ado-Ekiti, Jamie Kewulere, as well as traditional rulers and Muslim leaders, citing concerns over the panel’s potential to create religious tensions.
Oba Adejugbe acknowledged that the panel was formed with good intentions to resolve internal disputes within the Muslim community but argued that its existence could set a precedent for other religious groups to establish similar bodies, which might lead to unnecessary conflicts. He urged Muslim leaders to revert to traditional dispute resolution methods used by the mosque’s founding fathers. His stance was supported by the Ewi-in-Council and Ado sons and daughters, who agreed that the panel should be dissolved immediately.
The monarch’s decision follows a recent statement by the state’s Commissioner for Justice, Dayo Apata, who clarified that Ekiti’s judicial structure does not recognise Sharia courts or arbitration panels. The panel had reportedly begun resolving marriage and inheritance disputes before its dissolution.