Protesters, who disguised as worshippers, yesterday, reportedly went on the rampage and disrupted the Eid-el-Kabir prayers in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, while throwing missiles in the direction of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and other dignitaries.
The situation also prevented the Chief Imam from delivering his annual sermon just as the Emir of Ilorin also abandoned his Sallah message. Security operatives, who accompanied the Senate President to the praying ground, had to fire tear gas and several shots, which sent worshippers running helter-skelter, with one of the emir’s horsemen injured in the stampede.
It was learned that the hoodlums attempted to break through a security barrier erected by the police at the VIP area as part of measures to forestall their planned invasion as they threw stones and sachet water at the VIP area. Although some people claimed the crisis was linked to the non- payment of salaries to local government workers, a close aide reported that the whole issue was nothing but a political strategy employed by the opposition to discredit the reputation of the Senate President given his position as the number three citizen in the country.
He further clarified the false news that the State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed was targeted in the attack, He said: “Governor Ahmed was not even at the Eid praying ground; he was at his home in Share where he prayed. So the attack definitely could not be targeted at him.”
A statement from his media office, yesterday, read:
“The attention of the Media Office of the Senate President has been drawn to reports that the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, was allegedly attacked at the Eid prayer ground during the prayers to mark the Eid-el-Kabir in Ilorin. “The Senate President arrived at the venue this morning (yesterday) without any incident, prayed with other Muslim faithful, including the Emir of Ilorin, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Ali Ahmad and a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Alfa Belgore, among others.
“Before the Senate President left the prayer ground, he spoke to reporters who had asked him about his message for Nigerians to mark the Eid-el-Kabir. “We want to say that nothing can be further from the truth as the Senate President was never attacked nor was there any attempt made on his life to warrant him being ‘whisked away’ as reported by a section of the media.
Senate President Bukola Saraki stoned in Ilorin
