Sokoto-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Musa Lukuwa, on Thursday, led his followers in observing Eid al-Fitr prayers in defiance of the directive of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar, who had declared Friday as the official Sallah day.
The cleric conducted the two-unit Eid prayer at his Mabera mosque at approximately 9:10 a.m.
He had earlier addressed his followers after the Sultan’s announcement that the Shawwal crescent moon had not been sighted anywhere in Nigeria.
In a message that later circulated on social media, Lukuwa justified the decision, citing reports of moon sighting in neighbouring Niger Republic.
According to him, trusted contacts in the country verified the development, prompting his group to proceed with the Eid celebration.
He stated that Niger Republic is about 100 kilometres away and argued that if reports from distant cities such as Kano or Lagos are accepted, there is no basis to reject confirmed sightings from a neighbouring country.
He explained that the decision was not a disregard for the Sultan’s authority but an effort to follow religious teachings, noting that while his group usually follows the Sultan’s directive on the commencement and end of Ramadan, they would act in line with prophetic teachings once moon sighting is confirmed.
Lukuwa also referenced the historical role of the late Abubakar Mahmoud Gummi in announcing moon sightings before the responsibility was centralised under the Sultan to promote unity among Muslims.
He maintained that the Sultan’s decision in this instance was incorrect and insisted that his followers would not comply.
Separate accounts indicate that Lukuwa informed congregants around midnight of the reported moon sighting and instructed them to return for Eid prayers the following morning.
This is not the first time the cleric and his followers have disregarded the Sultan’s official position on the timing of Eid celebrations.
