By Ridwanullah Sakariyah
A Sokoto-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Musa Lukuwa, on Thursday led his followers in Eid al-Fitr prayers despite a directive from the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, who had declared Friday as the official Sallah day.
The cleric performed the two-unit Eid prayer at about 9:10am at his Mabera mosque, shortly after the Sultan announced that the Shawwal crescent moon had not been sighted anywhere in Nigeria, thereby extending Ramadan fasting by another day.
The development, however, followed Lukuwa’s insistence that he acted on reports of moon sighting from a neighbouring country.
In a message circulated on social media platforms, the cleric defended his action, justifying his decision to observe Eid prayer earlier than declared.
He said, “Niger Republic is very close to us, about 100 kilometres away.”
The incident highlights recurring differences over moon sighting and the commencement of Islamic festivities, an issue that has, at times, drawn contrasting positions between local clerics and central religious authority in the country.
Authorities had yet to issue an official response to the development as of press time.
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