A Sokoto-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Musa Lukuwa, led his followers in Eid al-Fitr prayers on Thursday, defying the official declaration by Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, who had designated Friday as the Sallah day
Lukuwa conducted a two-unit Eid prayer at his Mabera mosque around 9:10 a.m., hours after the Sultan announced that the Shawwal crescent moon had not been sighted anywhere in Nigeria, effectively extending Ramadan by one day.
In a message shared on social media, the cleric defended his decision, citing confirmed moon sightings in neighbouring Niger Republic.
“Niger Republic is very close to us — about 100 kilometres away. If we accept reports from cities like Kano or even Lagos, which are farther away, there is no reason to reject confirmed sightings from a neighbouring country,” he said.
He emphasized that his action was guided by religious conviction, not an attempt to challenge the Sultan’s authority.
“We usually follow the Sultan’s directive in starting and ending Ramadan. However, when it is clear that the moon has been sighted, we must act in accordance with the teachings of the Prophet, even if it differs from the Sultan’s declaration,” Lukuwa explained.
Referencing historical practice, he recalled the era of Abubakar Mahmoud Gummi, when prominent scholars independently announced moon sightings before the responsibility was centralized under the Sultan to maintain unity among Muslims.
Lukuwa maintained that the Sultan’s declaration this time was incorrect and reportedly informed his congregants around midnight, instructing them to gather for Eid prayers on Thursday morning.
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Wahala