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No one attacked Saraki at
Eid el-Kabir praying ground -- Aide
The President of the
Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, was on Thursday stoned by angry worshippers
at the Yidi Ground, Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. But Saraki’s social media
aide, Bankole Omisore in a swift reaction, denied the report, saying his boss
was never the object of attack.
In the report of the said
attack, it was also said that the Chief Imam of Ilorin, Alh. Muhammadu Bashir
was not spared the wrath of the protesters.
According to sources, others
who were victims of the spontaneous mob action were ex- Minister Bolaji
Abdullahi, the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Ali Ahmad,
ex-Speaker Razak Atunwa ( now a member of the House of Representatives) Rep
Amuda Kannike, a former National Chairman of the PDP, Alh. Kawu Baraje, the
Taliban of Ilorin, Prof. Oba Abdulraheem, members of the State House of
Assembly, all the Baloguns, Magajis and prominent leaders in Ilorin Emirate.
The protesters were said
to be angry because of non-utilization of the bail out funds given to the state
by the Federal Government to offset workers’ salaries.
They alleged that the
bail out funds were used to offset the bill incurred on crowning Saraki as the
President of the Senate.
Although the prayer was
fixed for 10am, there was tension as early as 8am at the Eid Praying Ground as
it was evident that most worshippers were out for showdown because initial
sermon segment of the Sallah celebration fell on deaf ears.
The state Governor,
Abdulfatah Ahmed, had during the week directed that civil servants, especially
those at the local government level, should be paid their salaries.
However, some equally
alleged that the worshippers were still protesting the alleged sale of a large
portion of the praying ground by Saraki.
It was learnt that
indigenes of Ilorin based in Abuja had expressed anger at the Senate president
when he showed up after his election to pray alongside President Muhammadu
Buhari at the National Mosque in Abuja.
Some of them, it was
learnt, had vowed to “show him” their other side when they gather for the Eid
prayers.
The alleged sale of the
praying ground had been an issue over the years.
Meanwhile, Bankole
Omisore, the Special Assistant to the Senate President on new media, said on
Thursday that no one attacked Sen. Bukola Saraki at the Eid el-Kabir prayer in
Ilorin, Kwara as reported by a section of the media.
Bankole's denial is
contained in a statement issued in Ilorin.
The statement said that
the senate president arrived at the praying ground without any incident and prayed
alongside other Muslim faithful.
``The senate president
arrived at the venue this morning without any incident, prayed with other
Muslim faithful, including the Emir of Ilorin, His Royal Highness (HRH), Alhaji
Ibrahim Sulu Gambari,`` Omisore said in the statement.
The SA said that Saraki
spoke to reporters, who had asked for his message for Nigerians as part of the
celebration of Eid el-Kabir.
The statement read in parts, ``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.``
The SA explained that
what happened was that a protest allegedly staged by local government employees
over the non-payment of their salaries was almost hijacked by hoodlums, but
were effectively stopped from doing so by security agents.
``Therefore, to say that
the senate president was attacked at the venue of the prayers is totally false
and a figment of the imagination of those behind the story.
``The protest was never
targeted at him; neither was any missile hurled at him,`` Omisore said.
According to him, the
Kwara Government has since issued a statement saying that majority of the
workers in the state have received their salaries.
He said he was optimistic
that those yet to receive their salaries would do so on Monday in view of the
public holiday on Thursday and Friday. (NAN/New Mail)
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