The denial was despite video evidence and several witnesses’ accounts which proved that the attack indeed occurred.
PREMIUM TIMES had on Thursday broken the story of the pandemonium at the eid praying ground in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, when aggrieved Muslim faithful went on the rampage throwing missiles in the direction of Mr. Saraki, and other dignitaries.
Witnesses said the protesters were angered by the inability of the state government to pay salaries of some workers before the Sallah celebrations, rendering some civil servants unable to buy rams for the Eid-el Kabir festival.
“Shortly after the senate president and other dignitaries arrived, some people started throwing stones and sachet waters in the direction of the Senate President and other important people,” one witness had told PREMIUM TIMES.
But in reaction to the widely-circulated report , the senate president’s spokesperson, Yusuph Olaniyonu, said Mr. Saraki arrived and left the praying ground safely without any fracas.
“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, 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,” Mr. Olaniyonu said.
“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,” said the statement.
But the senate president, however, tacitly admitted that there was a demonstration at the prayer ground.
“We however observe that there was a protest allegedly staged by local government employees over purported non-payment of salaries which hoodlums attempted to hijacked but this development was immediately curtailed 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 because the protest was never targeted at him, neither was any missile hurled at him,” the statement said.
But video evidence however showed security agents firing shots and teargas canisters to disperse the rampaging protesters who jeered and booed the dignitaries, led by the senate president.
The footage, obtained by news website, SaharaReporters, also showed the irate congregants shouting “ole, ole, ole…(thief, thief, thief…)” and surging towards where Mr. Saraki and other dignitaries sat.
They could be heard making uncomplimentary remarks about Mr. Saraki and wondering whether the senate president had escaped their wrath by sneaking out of the praying ground.
WATCH VIDEO BELOW:
Kwara Govt confirms, condemns attack
Meanwhile, the Kwara State government has condemned the attack on dignitaries at the Ilorin Eid praying ground during Thursday’s Eid-el Kabir celebrations, saying it was absurd, barbaric and unIslamic.
In a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Abdulwahaab Oba, the government accused aggrieved politicians of colluding with some local government council employees to embarrass dignitaries in the state under the pretest of protesting salary arrears at the local government level.
The administration said it became aware of the plan about four weeks ago but continued to seek ways of resolving the salary crises at the local government level.
According to the statement, government went out of its way to negotiate and secure bank loans to offset the arrears pending the time the federal government bailout would be released as a result of which the concerned workers promptly received their salaries as directed by the state governor.
“Government, therefore, is puzzled by the attack since the majority of state and local government workers, including primary school teachers, have received their salaries,” Mr. Oba said.
“The state Government said those that are yet to receive their salaries will do so by next Monday as Thursday and Friday are public holidays.”
The statement urged politicians not to turn the state of harmony into another theatre of violence, urging the police to bring to justice without delay those already apprehended while imploring the people to mark the Eid El Kabir holidays peacefully and with prayers for the quick resolution of the challenges facing the national economy.
The Eid praying ground attack
Muslim worshipers at the Eid praying ground on Thursday threw stones, sachet water and other objects at the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, thereby disrupting the ceremony.
A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent at the praying ground reported that trouble started immediately the Senate President arrived at the Eid ground.
The worshipers, including women and children, abandoned their prayers and began to throw stones at Mr. Saraki.
The presence of security agents, both in mufti and uniform, who accompanied him to the Eid ground, did not help the situation.
The worshipers ignored several gunshots and teargas canisters shot into the air to scare them.
NAN reports that there was pandemonium and many of the Muslim faithful fled the area without offering the prayers they came for.
Some of them later told NAN they were only able to offer one rakat out of the two supererogation prayers.
The worshipers did not disturb other personalities at the event, including the Emir of llorin, lbrahim Sulu-Gambari; the Chief lmam of llorin, Mohammed Bashir and some former commissioners.
NAN reports that the situation prevented the Chief lmam from delivering his annual sermon while the Emir also abandoned his Sallah message.
It took the combined team of security operatives several minutes before Mr. Saraki was taken out of the venue.
The Public Relations Officer, Kwara Police Command, Ajayi Okasanmi, confirmed the attack.
Mr. Okasanmi, however, said the incident was triggered by some miscreants.
He later said eight suspects had been arrested in connection with the incident, saying investigation was ongoing.
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