The closure of the five gates came on the order of the Emir as a way of beefing up security around the mosque to safeguard lives of Muslim worshipers during the Friday congregational prayer, while the other gates would remain closed just like every other day.

According to him, the development came up in view of security threats in some parts of Northern states of the country.

The Emir who spoke through the Secretary of the Emirate’s Magajis Forum, the Magaji Nda of Ilorin, Alhaji Saliu Woru Mohammed said the development became imperative for the safety of Muslim worshipers from Ilorin and its environs.

He stated that the recent bomb blast that occurred in Kano and some other parts of the country called for concerns, urging all Muslims to be security conscious of their environments.

While expressing regret on any inconvenience the new arrangement might cause people of the emirate, the Emir appealed for the cooperation and compliance of people with the royal directive in the interest of peace and tranquillity.

“Chances must not be given to terrorists to operate and perpetrate evils in our environment due to security lapses of security stakeholders by allowing the ugly event to take its course in the state”, he said.