Sokoto-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Musa Lukuwa has led his followers in observing Eid al-Fitr prayers in defiance to the directive of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar, who has declared Friday as the official Sallah day.
Lukuwa conducted the two-unit Eid prayer at his mosque in the Mabera area of Sokoto at about 9:10 a.m. on Thursday, after an earlier address to his followers on the issue of moon sighting.
The Sultan of Sokoto, who is also President of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, had on Wednesday announced Friday as the date for the 2026 Eid-el-Fitr celebrations.
He affirmed that the crescent moon marking the beginning of Shawwal was not sighted anywhere in Nigeria, a position that traditionally determines the end of Ramadan and the date for Eid celebrations.
Despite the announcement, Sheikh Lukuwa proceeded to observe the Eid prayers on Thursday at his mosque in Mabera area of Sokoto, leading his followers in the two-rakat congregational prayer.
He justified his action by citing confirmed reports of moon sighting in neighbouring Niger Republic. He argued that the country’s proximity—about 100 kilometres away—made the reports credible.
According to him, trusted contacts in the country verified the development, prompting his group to proceed with the Eid celebration.
“Niger Republic is very close to us—about 100 kilometres away,” he said. “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 the decision was not an act of disregard for the Sultan’s authority but rather adherence to religious teachings.
“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,” he stated.
Lukuwa also referenced the historical role of the late Abubakar Mahmoud Gummi in announcing moon sightings before the responsibility was centralized under the Sultan for the sake of unity within the Muslim community.
He maintained that the Sultan’s decision in this instance was incorrect and insisted that his followers would not comply.
It is said that this is not the first time the cleric and his followers would disregard the Sultan’s official position on the timing of Eid celebrations.
The development underscores recurring differences among Islamic scholars and groups over moon sighting methodologies, particularly between reliance on local verification and acceptance of sightings from other regions with similar lunar visibility conditions.
Observers say such divergences, though not new, often generate debate within the Muslim community, particularly in northern Nigeria where the Sultan’s pronouncements are widely regarded as authoritative.
