Lagos central mosque: Court orders status quo in dispute over Ramadan lecture

As the crisis at the Lagos Central Mosque festers, the Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday ordered all parties in the dispute over the yearly Ramadan activities in the mosque to refrain from taking any action that may lead to the breakdown of law and order in the state by maintaining the status quo. […]

As the crisis at the Lagos Central Mosque festers, the Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday ordered all parties in the dispute over the yearly Ramadan activities in the mosque to refrain from taking any action that may lead to the breakdown of law and order in the state by maintaining the status quo.

Justice Ambros Lewis-Alagoa, who made the order, also averred that since there is no contention or controversy over the spiritual leadership of the mosque, the current chief imam, who is the spiritual head, should be the one in charge of organising the Ramadan lecture pending the hearing and determination of the substantive application.

The judge made the order while adjourning for the hearing of a motion on notice filed by the Registered Trustees of Jamat-ul-Muslimeen Council of Nigeria, Alhaji Femi Okunnu and Alhaji Chief Saheed Yemi Lawal.

Daily Trust reports that there has been an internal dispute between the Chief Imam of the Lagos Central Mosque, Sheikh (Engr.) Sulaimon Abou-Nolla and the Baba Adinni of Lagos, Alhaji Sikiru MacFoy which snowballed into a legal battle.

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The legal challenge centres on a dispute over the appointment of Alhaji Macfoy as Baba Adinni and the overall management of the mosque’s affairs.

The other parties to the suit are Alhaji Macfoy, Alhaji Chief A.A. Mustapha, Mufassir Imam S.A. Gafar, Dr. Muiz Banire, SAN, Sheik Sulaimon Abou-Nolla and the Attorney-General of Lagos State.

According to the motion on notice, the plaintiffs, through their counsel, Dr Kemi Pinhero, SAN, are asking for an order of interlocutory injunction, pending the determination of the Motion on Notice filed herein, restraining the Ist Defendant whether by himself or through his agents, nominees, deputies, cronies or any Person(s) acting on their authority, instructions or directives, howsoever described, from parading himself as the Baba Adinni of Lagos Central Mosque and/or calling, participating in or superintending any meeting whatsoever, whether in his capacity of the Baba Adinni of the Lagos Central Mosque or any other capacity whatsoever.

When the matter was called for hearing, Mr Bisi Oyesanya, SAN, representing the first and second defendants told the judge that he had filed a notice of objection challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter.

Oyesanya added that the position of the law was that once the jurisdiction of the court was challenged in a matter, the court ought to take the objection challenging the jurisdiction first before going into the main matter.

However, the plaintiff’s counsel, Dr Pinhero, and Dr Muiz Banire, SAN, who represented himself as the fourth defendant, objected to that line of argument insisting that was the old law.

However, since it was obvious that the matter could not be heard and determined before the coming Ramadan fast, Pinhero prayed the court to grant an order for the status quo to be maintained to keep the peace during Ramadan.

The matter was later adjourned till March 3, 2025.