SAN FRANCISCO, September 24, (THEWILL) – Angry worshippers Thursday attacked Senate President Bukola Saraki, the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, Chief Imam of Ilorin, Alhaji Muhammadu Bashir, Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Ali Ahmed and several other top politicians at the Eid Praying Ground in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, over unpaid wages and their poor finances.
State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed was not at the ceremony. He was in his hometown, Share to mark the Muslim celebration.
The protester who threw stones and other missiles at the dignitaries accused the state government of not using the bail out funds for the payment of salaries. They alleged that the funds were used to payoff contractors that funded Saraki’s election as President of the Senate.
They chanted slogans like Saraki “Ole Ole Ole”, (meaning thief, thief, thief).
Policemen and security operatives had to fire canisters of teargas to disperse and calm the crowd of angry worshippers.
Kwara Governor Condemns Attack
The Kwara State Governor has condemned the attack on dignitaries, describing the incident as absurd, barbaric and against the teachings of Islam
In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Abdulwahab Oba, Governor Ahmed said government was aware of plans by some aggrieved politicians in collaboration with some local government employees and teachers to protest the non-payment of arrears of salaries owed them.
“As a result of this, government quickly went out of its way to negotiate and secure bank loans to offset the arrears pending the time when the Federal Government bailout fund will be released,” he said.
The governor said he directed that funds should be released for the salaries, adding that civil servants received their salary alerts on Wednesday.
Ahmed, however, wondered why some miscreants should take the laws into their hands and disrupt the prayer since majority of state and local government workers, including primary school teachers, had received their salaries.
He said others would get their salaries on Monday, as Thursday and Friday were public holidays.
Ahmed, who urged politicians not to promote violence in the state, charged the police to bring to justice those already apprehended.
I was not attacked – Saraki
Bankole Omisore, the Special Assistant to the Senate President on new media, said on Thursday that no one attacked Sen. Bukola Saraki as reported.
In a statement Thursday, Bankole 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.
“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.
