The Oyo State branch of the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria has said it was setting up a Shariah court to resolve family disputes among willing Muslims in the state.
The Chairman of the Committee, Dr. Bello Adisa, who disclosed this on Wednesday, said it was setting up an Independent Sharia Arbitration Panel in Oyo town and its neighbouring areas.
It said the arbitration panel already exists in several South-West states.
The group said the postponement of the event was due to an inadvertent reference to the programme as the inauguration of a Shari’a court in the state rather than what it refers to as the “Independent Shari’a Arbitration Panel.”
Adisa said the new date for the inauguration would be announced shortly.
The statement read, “This is to inform the general public, on behalf of the entire Muslim community of Oyo town, that the inauguration ceremony of the Independent Sharia Arbitration Panel in Oyo town, initially scheduled for 11th January 2025 at Oyo Muslim Community Islamic Centre, Agbogangan, Oyo, has been postponed. A new date will be announced later.
“The postponement follows an inadvertent reference to the event as the inauguration of a Shari’a court in Oyo town and its environs instead of the Independent Sharia Arbitration Panel.
“This arbitration panel, which already exists in many parts of the South-West, is meant only to settle family disputes among willing Muslims, without enforcement powers. It is not a court. We deeply regret any inconvenience caused by this misrepresentation and the subsequent postponement.”
