SENATE PRESIDENT DENIES ATTACK WHILE VIDEO PROVES OTHERWISE

The Senate President of the 8^th Assembly, Bukola Saraki, has denied being attacked and booed at the Kwara eid ground on Thursday.

Despite the denial, several witness and video evidence proved that the attack indeed occurred at the eid praying ground in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, as aggrieved Muslim faithful went on the rampage throwing missiles in the direction of Mr. Saraki, and other dignitaries.

According to witnesses, 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.

Some people started throwing stones and sachet waters in the direction of the Senate President shortly after the senate president and other dignitaries arrived, according to an eye witness.

Reacting to the widely-circulated report about the incident, Mr. Saraki arrived and left the praying ground safely without any fracas. Said the senate president’s spokesperson, Yusuph Olaniyonu

Mr. Olaniyonu said, “The Senate President arrived at the venue  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.”

 “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, 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.

Kwara Govt confirms, condemns attack

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. 

The 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, the statement reads.

Mr. Oba continued that “Government, is puzzled by the attack since the majority of state and local government workers, including primary school teachers, have received their salaries,”

“The state Government assured that those who are yet to receive their salaries will do so by next Monday as Thursday and Friday are public holidays.”

The statement also 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 Public Relations Officer, Kwara Police Command, Ajayi Okasanmi, has therefore confirmed the attack, which he stated that the incident was triggered by some miscreants.

Eight suspects had been arrested in connection with the incident, saying investigation was ongoing.