Adewumi Ademiju 
…warns Fifth Columnists against unethical practices
The Ekiti State Government has said there is no existence of a Sharia Court or the proposed Independent Sharia Arbitration Panel in the State.
An unverifiable report recently surfaced online stated that the Shari’ah Arbitration Panel in the State was inaugurated by the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in October 2024 in Ado Ekiti, the state capital primarily to provide a platform to resolve disputes, especially civil matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance etc, in line with Islamic principles among Muslims and willing participants.
The report added that the panel had its inaugural public sitting last Thursday and settled some marriage-related cases.
The State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Dayo Apata (SAN), on Thursday in a statement said that the Independent Sharia Arbitration Panel is not in the judicial structure of the State, noting that “Arbitration and/or Mediation issue is a Quasi-Judicial matters which are regulated by Law” in the State.
Apata said there is an existing legal structure in Ekiti State (i.e. Customary Court, Customary Court of Appeal and High Court) that has been handling issues relating to Islamic, Christian and Traditional Marriages and inheritance without any rancour or agitation.
According to him, “the Sharia Courts in the North are equivalent to the Customary Courts in the Southern part of Nigeria wherein the Appeals therefrom also goes to the Sharia Court of Appeal”, adding that “the State similarly has Customary Courts that hear customary cases as well as the Customary Court of Appeal that hears appeals from the Customary Courts”.
Noting that the state high Courts and all other Courts also have Arbitration and Mediation mechanisms, Apata emphasised that Customary Courts and the Customary Court of Appeal can effectively take care of any customary issues arising from Yoruba Traditional Marriages, Islamic Marriages, and Christian Marriages, especially the ones that were not backed-up by the Statutory Marriages which can only be dissolved by the States High Courts throughout Nigeria.
While noting that the issue is a religious matter that must be handled with utmost care, Apata however cautioned against activities that may negatively affect the State government’s policy of peaceful coexistence among residents of the State, stressing that the government would not compromise on any action that may hinder the prevailing peace and fester hostility in the State.
He said the Government is not unmindful of the fact the race for the 2026 Governorship election is gathering momentum in Ekiti State and opposition members who cannot fault the performance of the State Government have resorted to all sorts of unethical practices.
He therefore advised religious leaders to be weary of being used as tools by politicians and fifth columnists because the Government will not hesitate to invoke the full weight of the law to protect the Constitution of the Federation and maintain peaceful co-existence in the state.
