Chief Imam Of Lagos, Police Drag Baba Adini Alabi-Macfoy To Court Over Ramadan Lecture
By Sulaimon Salau
The last may not have been heard of the crisis that rocked the Lagos Central Mosque, as the Chief Imam of Lagos, Sheikh Sulaiman Abou-Nolah, along with the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, dragged the Baba Adinni of Lagos, Alhaji Sikiru Alabi-Macfoy, to court, alleging disruption of Ramadan lecture.
However, Alabi-Macfoy, has denied the allegation, insisting that “he was nowhere near the venue of the lecture”, on that day and did not disrupt the programme.
In a statement by the General Secretary Lagos central Mosque, Lookman Seriki, the Executive Council of the mosque, otherwise known as Jama’atul Muslimeen Council of Lagos Central Mosque, insisted that the Ramadan lecture purportedly had by the Chief Imam was in defiance of the instructions of the senior authority in Lagos State that both parties should not conduct any Ramadan lecture in the interest of peace.
He stated that: “Based on the advice of the senior authority in Lagos State, both parties did not hold Ramadan lecture on the first Saturday of Ramadan
“But the following Saturday, March 8th, 2025, in defiance of the State advice, the Chief Imam, Sheikh Abu-Nolla, organised what looked like a Ramadan lecture, which he claimed was a Tafsir. It was this programme, he alleged that Alhaji Sikiru Alabi-Macfoy, the Baba Adinni, disrupted.
“However, the Baba Adinni, said he was nowhere near the venue of the lecture, not to talk of disrupting it.
“The Baba Adinni, Alhaji Sikiru Alabi Macfoy, was arraigned, without any prior notification in the Saint Anna Court on the very day, Wednesday, 19 March, 2025, when, in honour of the invitation, he presented himself at the Criminal Investigation Department Police Station (CID, Panti) at Musliu Smith Street, in Lagos Mainland, Yaba.
“Macfoy was granted bail after pleading not guilty to the charge, and Magistrate Owoseni postponed the case for mention under Magistrate Damola Paul on April 16th, 2025.
“The police claimed that their decision was based on accusations made by Messers 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’s spirited effort to defend himself that the allegation was a pure fabrication, intimidation and part of sinister plot to silence him and create impression of instability, the police went ahead to immediately arraign him at the Court,” he stated.
Giving a background to the matter, the statement said: “From the time immemorial, it has been the constitutional obligation and tradition of the Executive Council of the mosque, through its Mission Board, to plan and implement annual Ramadan lecture at every first Saturday of Ramadan; thus Mission Board scheduled this year’s Ramadan lecture for Saturday, March 1st, 2025, at the Lagos Central Mosque, to commence at 10am.
“No Chief Imam ‘has ever conducted the Ramadan Lecture’, as his role is only to give the benediction prayer that would conclude the Raman lecture.
“However, in an unprecedented move, the current Chief Imam scheduled his own parallel Ramadan lecture for the same day, time and venue, as that of the Mission Board”.
The statement further revealed that impasse almost precipitated a crisis, as the Chief Imam allegedly invited the Police to the mosque on several occasions, culminating in the Police invitations of the Baba Adinni to different police stations on at least five occasions, where he was asked to write statement (on two occasions including at the CID, Panti) and gave undertaking that he would be of good conduct and would not engage in any act that could lead to a breach of peace at the Central Mosque.
It further alleged that, “During the latest (second) visit to CID Panti Police Station, Police pointedly accused Alhaji Alabi-Macfoy of violating the undertaking he made earlier during first visit to their station, gave him little room to defend himself and took him immediately to the Court.
“It is pertinent to mention here that, it was in a related case that Alhaji Femi Okunnu (SAN) had sued Alhaji Sikiru Alabi-Macfoy to the Federal High Court, Lagos Division at Ikoyi; but Alhaji Femi Okunnu’ lawyers could not get an injunction prayed to restrain Alhaji Alabi-Macfoy from parading himself as Baba Adinni, as the Judge insisted on hearing the merits of the case before he could decide on the judgment.
“In fact, it was after much pleading by the lawyers representing Alhaji Femi Okunnu (SAN), that the Presiding Judge, Lewis Allagoa, advised that for peace to reing amid the broahaha, the Chief Imam, “being the spiritual head, is expected to organise the Ramadan Lecture, …..as Ramadan was around the corner.” It stated.
