In a bold move that defied the directive of the Sultan of Sokoto and president-general of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Sheikh Musa Lukwa, a prominent cleric based in Sokoto State, proceeded to lead his followers in observing Eid-el-Fitr prayers on Tuesday.
The dispute arose from conflicting reports regarding the sighting of the crescent moon, which traditionally marks the beginning of the month of Shawwal and the end of Ramadan.
While the NSCIA, under the leadership of Sultan Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, announced Wednesday, April 10, 2024, as the official Eid day, citing the absence of the crescent moon on Monday, Sheikh Musa Lukwa took a different stance.
Lukwa, citing reports of the new moon sighting in neighbouring Niger Republic on Monday, April 8, argued that Ramadan had ended on Monday.
He conducted the Eid prayers at his Juma’at mosque on Tuesday morning, justifying his actions based on the sighting from Niger Republic, which he claimed was authenticated by their Council of Ulamah.
The cleric emphasized the significance of adhering to the teachings of the Holy Prophet and stressed that since Niger Republic is geographically closer to Nigeria than Saudi Arabia, whose moon sighting is traditionally accepted, there was no reason to disregard the sighting from a neighbouring country.
While acknowledging that not all Nigerian Muslims may observe Eid on Tuesday, Lukwa maintained that there was a moral obligation to observe the prayer based on the verified moon sighting.
