History
Kwara State was one of the pioneer states created out of Northern Nigeria in 1967. It was then referred to as West Central State. At different times, different parts of the present Kogi State were excised out of Kwara. The old Kwara had one judiciary with the then North Central State, the present Kaduna and Katsina States. They maintained one judiciary up to 1975 when each state then set up its own judiciary.
Sharia Court of Appeal is a Superior Court of Record established pursuant to Section 275, Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999. The Court has been empowered to, in addition to such other jurisdiction as may be conferred upon it by the law of the State, exercise such appellate and supervisory jurisdiction in civil proceedings involving questions of Islamic personal law which the court is competent to decide, (Section 277, Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and Laws of Kwara State of Nigeria, No. 4 of 2006). The Kwara State Sharia Court of Appeal, Ilorin opened initially under a rented private flat where it operated until 1982 when it had its own court. In 1990, a befitting court complex with three court rooms, a conference room and other facilities was constructed by the Military Governor of Kwara State; Ibrahim Alkali and was commissioned by the then Military President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, GCFR, on the 21st of November 1990. The Court commands respect in the state. It holds sessions with a court of its own in six local governments' headquarters as zonal offices; Lafiagi, Patigi, Offa, Kosubosu, Omu-Aran, and Share.
In 1975, a substantive Grand Kadi in person of Hon. Justice AbdulKadirOrire(retired pioneer Grand Kadi) was appointed. Hon. Justice Ustaz Yonous Abdullahi; (the late pioneer Hon. Grand Kadi of Kogi States) and Hon. Justice Hussein Yahya (also late) were the then pioneer Hon. Kadis of the State. Later in 1982, an additional Kadi was appointed in person of Hon. Justice M.A. Ambali (retired Grand Kadi).
In response to the demand of the volume of litigation in the sector of Muslim Personal Law, three Kadis; Hon. Kadis A.K. Imam Fulani, F.I. Muhammad (late) and S.S. Olorunfemi (retired Grand Kadi of Kogi State) were also appointed in 1988. As aresult of the creation of Kogi State, three Hon. Kadis who are indigenes of the new state chose to move to the state to lay a solid foundation for the administration of Muslim Personal Law. Efforts to replace them could not materialise until in 1994 when additional Kadis were appointed. The Hon. Kadis appointed were I. A. Haroon; who is by the grace of God the present Grand Kadi of the state; M. A. Oredola (now Justice, Court of Appeal), A.K. Abdullahi (now late) and M.B. Haruna (now Chief Imam of Lafiagi). In 1999, Hon. Kadi S.O. Muhammad was appointed to the bench and in 2008; Hon. Kadis A.A. Idris and S.M. AbdulBaki were also appointed. Furthermore, in 2010 two additional Kadis were appointed; M.O. AbdulKadir and A.A. Owolabi while the last appointment was in 2012 when Hon. Kadi AbdulLateef Kamaldeen moved to the bench. As of today, Kwara State Sharia Court of Appeal has six Hon. Kadis; Hon. Kadi S.O. Muhammad, Hon. Kadi A. A. Idris, Hon. Kadi S. M. AbdulBaki, Hon. Kadi M. O. AbdulKadir, Hon. Kadi A. A. Owolabi, Hon. Kadi A. L. Kamaldeen with Hon. Justice Idris Abdullahi Haroon, FHNR as Head of the Court. This brings to four Grand Kadis the Court ever had; Hon. Justice AbdulKadir Orire, CON (1975-1999), Hon. Justice AbdulMuttalib Ahmad Ambali, OFR (1999-2008), Hon. Justice AbdulKadir Imam Fulani, OFR (2008-2010) and Hon. Justice Idris Abdullahi Haroon, FHNR (2010-till date).
The overall administration of Kwara State Sharia Court of Appeal was initially under the supervision of the Chief Registrar of the State High Court of Justice until 1981 when Alhaji M.A Ambali (as he then was) was appointed the pioneer Chief Registrar. In April 1982, Alhaji A.K. Imam Fulani took over and was succeeded by Alhaji Jibril T. Patigi (deceased) in 1988.Alhaji I.A. Haroon was also appointed as Chief Registrar;Alhaji S.O. Muhammad took over in December, 1994; Alhaji Adam A. Idris (May, 1999); Alhaji M. O. AbdulKadir (April, 2008); Alhaji A. L. Kamaldeen (August, 2010). The present Acting Chief Registrar; Alhaji A.R. Ibrahim took over in December, 2012.
The Hon. Grand Kadi Justice Idris Abdullahi Haroon, FHNR is a holder of Master of Arts (Hons.) degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Ibadan (1981). He practised teaching profession in Okene, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and Kwara State College of Education at both Ilorin and Oro different. Before becoming the Chief Registrar, he had served as Member, Kwara State Committee on Religious Education; Member, Kwara State Consultative Committee on Promotion of Religious Understanding and Harmony and Deputy Chief Registrar, Kwara State Sharia Court of Appeal, Ilorin.
The present Acting Chief Registrar of the Court; Alhaji AbdulRahim A. Ibrahim is a holder of Bachelor of Arts in Sharia and Islamic Sciences (1986) from University of Baghdad, Iraq.In 1990, he joined the Kwara State Sharia Court of Appeal, Ilorin as Higher Registrar and rose through the ranks until his recent appointment as acting Chief Registrar in December, 2012.