Masqueraders reportedly attacked Muslim worshippers at their Mosque in Ikun-Ekiti, Ekiti state on Tuesday.
The Imam, Alhaji Abdul-Rasak Abubakar-Bello, who was rushed to the Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti after the incident, received stitches on his head.
He revealed that the Muslims were held hostage in the mosque for four hours by the masquerades, who threatened to kill them.
He said: “There was no way we could escape because they were waiting for us outside after initially attacking us inside the mosque with iron rods and woods. When we succeeded in locking ourselves inside the mosque, they started throwing stones at us.” Bello accused the Divisional Police Office of ignoring the rescue calls made to him by the Muslim community. Meanwhile, the Muslim community accused a traditional ruler of masterminding the attack on them.
Condemning the attack, the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations, NACOMYO, accused the king and the police of complicity in the attack on the Muslims. In a statement by the state Coordinator, Tajudeen Ahmed, and the Secretary, Musa Tijani, NACOMYO stated that the king had earlier warned the Muslims to keep their women away from the mosque on Tuesday, being the grand finale of their masquerade festival. “He was said to have written a letter to the Muslim community of Ikun-Ekiti to ensure that their women are kept indoors.
