Ekiti denies existence of Sharia Court in state
By Jeffrey Agbo
Ekiti State Government has said that neither the Sharia Court nor the proposed Independent Sharia Arbitration Panel exists in its judicial structure.
Ekiti State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dayo Apata (SAN), on behalf of the government, said in a statement on Thursday 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 (that is 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.
READ ALSO: Ekiti Airport ready for commercial operations — Keyamo
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 state High Courts and all other courts also have arbitration and mediation mechanism, 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 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 that the race for 2026 governorship election is gathering momentum in Ekiti State and opposition members have resorted to all sorts of practices. He therefore advised religious leaders to be wary of being used as tools by politicians and fifth columnists because the government would 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.
