By Shakirah Adunola
Tensions flared at the Lagos Central Mosque on Tuesday, April 7, 2025, as the Chief Imam reportedly sealed off all administrative offices with the aid of bouncers and intimidating individuals.

This dramatic move effectively prevented administrative staff from carrying out their duties and halted meetings of the Executive Council and its committees. The unprecedented action follows a letter issued by the Chief Imam to the Executive Council on the same day. In the letter, the Imam declared his intention to assume control of the mosque’s administrative functions, citing a court order allegedly issued by Justice Edward Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, on February 26, 2025. The Chief Imam stated this takeover was pending the determination “of a lawsuit filed by prominent lawyer Alhaji Femi Okunnu (SAN) and two others.”

However, the Baba Adinni of Lagos, Alhaji Sikiru Alabi-Macfoy, has vehemently opposed the Chief Imam’s actions. In a strongly worded response, Alhaji Alabi-Macfoy urged the Chief Imam to retrace his steps immediately from these ill-advised and reckless acts, emphasizing the need for peace, order, and respect for the mosque and the court. He further suggested that the Chief Imam may be misinterpreting the scope of the purported court order.

Alhaji Alabi-Macfoy highlighted Justice Allagoa’s previous advice for the Chief Imam to oversee only the Ramadan Lecture for the duration of the holy month, aimed at maintaining harmony within the mosque. He questioned the Chief Imam’s justification for his recent actions, particularly the office lockdown.

Adding to the controversy, the Chief Imam has unilaterally appointed a 14-member support team to manage the mosque’s affairs. The Baba Adinni and other insiders have raised concerns that many of these appointees are outsiders with limited ties to the Central Mosque. Alarmingly, some are alleged to hold radical ideologies that could potentially disrupt the mosque’s long-standing traditions and threaten the peace and progress of the wider Muslim community in Lagos Island and beyond.

Alhaji Alabi-Macfoy sternly warned that the four key communities historically linked to the mosque – Isale-Eko/Idumota, Oko Faji, Olowogbowo, and Popo Aguda/Brazilian Quarter would resist this move.

He emphasized their deep spiritual, emotional, and financial connection to the mosque and their centuries-old tradition of nominating representatives to the Executive Council. He described the Chief Imam’s actions as a gross violation of the Mosque’s registered Constitution and assault on over 2-century old valued tradition.

The Baba Adinni clarified that the court order cited by the Chief Imam does not mandate him to lock the offices of the Executive or any other part of the Mosque, accusing him of taking the laws into his own hands.

He announced that the matter would be reported to the relevant authorities and demanded the immediate reopening of the locked offices. Furthermore, he stated that the challenged court order does not authorize the establishment of a parallel administrative body, nor does it prevent the existing Executive Council from convening.

Concluding, Alhaji Alabi-Macfoy insisted that the Lagos Central Mosque is owned and controlled by the communities of Lagos Island.
“It has never been owned or controlled by any Chief Imam or any by one person.”