By Charles Okonji
The Chief Imam of Lagos, Sheikh Sulaiman Abou-Nolah, along with the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, has dragged Baba Adinni of Lagos, Alhaji Sikiru Alabi-Macfoy, to the Santana Magistrate Court, Tinubu, in Lagos Island, alleging disruption of Ramadan Lecture, he (Chief Imam) scheduled for Saturday, March 8th, 2025.
This was against the advice of the higher authority in the State that both parties should not conduct the Annual Ramadan Lecture.
Baba Adinni of Lagos, Alhaji Macfoy, was arraigned, without prior notification, to the court on the very day, Wednesday, 18 March, 2025, of honouring invitation to Panti Police Station.
Alhaji Macfoy was granted bail after pleading not guilty to the charge, and Magistrate Owoseni postponed the case for mentioning under Magistrate Paul on April 16th, 2025.
The police based their action on accusation made by Messrs Lateef Bakare, Azeez Aboaba and Salvador, who represented the Chief Imam at the Panti Police Station, “along with their own (Police) preliminary investigation.”
Despite Baba Adinni spirited attempt to defend himself that the allegation was pure fabrication, intimidation and part of sinister plot to silence him and create impression of instability, the police went ahead to immediately arrange him at the court.
On the background of the case; the Executive Council of the Lagos Central Mosque had planned its constitutionally authorized Ramadan lecture for 10 am, Saturday, March 1st, 2025, at the Lagos Central Mosque which was the first day of the ongoing Ramadan. But, in an unprecedented move, the Chief Imam scheduled his own parallel Ramadan for the same day, time and venue.
The impasse almost precipitated a crisis, as the Chief Imam, Sheikh Sulaimon Abu-Nolla invited police to the Mosque on several occasions, causing police to invite Baba Adinni, Alhaji Sikiru Alabi-Macfoy to different police stations on at least five occasions, where he was compelled to write- on two occasions including at Panti- statement and made undertaking that he would be of good conduct and would not engage in any act that could cause a break down of law and order in the Central Mosque.
However, during the latest (second) visit to Panti Police Station, police was without any ceremony or pretention to any due process, accused Alhaji Alabi-Macfoy of violating the undertaking he (Alhaji Alabi-Macfoy) made during first visit to Panti, and was immediately taken to the court from Panti Police Station.
Suffice to state it here that, it was on this case that Alhaji Femi Okunnu took Alhaji Sikiru Alabi-Macfoy to court but could not get an injunction to restrain Alhaji Alabi-Macfoy from parading himself as Baba Adinni.
However, the Federal High Court, Justice Lewis Allagoa, advised that for peace to reign amid the brouhaha, the Chief Imam, “being the spiritual head, is expected to organise the Ramadan Lecture.” Then Ramadan was around the corner.
Also, advised come from the higher authority in the State that no parties should organise any Ramadan lecture. But, in deviance to the advice, the Chief Imam carried out his planned Ramadan Lecture on Saturday, 8 March 2025, a week after the scheduled date.
It was this Ramadan lecture that the Chief Imam alleged that Bana Adinni disrupted, as Bana Adinni said he was nowhere near the venue of the lecture not to talk of disrupting it.
