The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, has denied being pelted or booed at the Kwara eid ground on Thursday.
The denial was despite video evidence and several witnesses’ accounts which proved that the attack indeed occurred.
It was widely reported yesterday, the pandemonium that broke out 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,”
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.
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I too like wetin tekinoloji de do. If Sharaki like make him de deny. Breez don blow fawol yash don open.
ReplyDeleteAll these sponsored anarchy by APC against their own will definitely bring trouble. This video is a clear evidence that APC wants to destroy Dr Saraki. Is really unfortunate how far Tinubu and his greedy cohorts can go.
ReplyDeleteWhat has Tinubu n APC got to do with saraki's attack in Ilorin.the money meant for payment of outstanding salary is used to offset senate president's expenses n u r talking abt Tinubu. Pple of Kwara has been owed 4 months salary n u r there shouting Tinubu n APC
DeleteWell I don't blame you low level thinker is it Bukola that will pay the salary by the way fools he wasn't there they were stone kwasu bus which they think the gov is secondly people arrested were Christain send to start the stoning and it has to do with tinubu with time we shall see and I don't blame ilorin fools who do not work except getting married to 4 wives and riding okada u people should get life go and get life and stop accusing people of what u know nothin about
DeleteAnd how many month salary is osun state owing the workers ? Tinubu s loyalist secondly is he the gov of the state lol people with shallow way of thinking think well b4 u pencil down anything
DeleteIf Saraki was not stoned, he should have been stoned. The nation has had enough of this thief! It's time for him to go........straight to jail!
ReplyDeleteY shld he go to jail ? U don't condem or judge people until u have fact have u ever being a leader in an organization or do you have a company ? Den handle a responsibility first then u can talk
DeleteThe people of Ilorin just woke up from their slumber not just an APC plan. If the secret of your past governors leak out, you will even fly into your state to protest I bet you. They have impoverished Nigerians for too long oooooo.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the secret that linked ? the problems is that people just work hard and be usful for the country too every body complaining has one way or the other has small money and all they do is to smoke but drinks in club and condem hard wrk due to beef lol people shld wrk hard he is probing power sector where mafias are involved so think bro think b4 u abuse or calm people their
DeleteSaw nothing in the purported video. These online news portals are just sentimental, zero invrstigative journalism. Nigerian eye and Sahara reporters same people.
ReplyDeleteThank you for being sensible I was at the eid and the man was not there this guys where complaining for late payment so they saw the kwasu bus and they thought it was the gov coming ilorin people are very lazy people they don't even understand the court case ish
DeleteThere is absolutely nothing about Bukola in the video. If the workers salary is delayed, is Bukola the governor? SAHARA REPORTERS is always sensational in its report, often time lies.
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