Date: 2017-06-26

The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki; the Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed; the Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly, Ali Ahmad, and many other political leaders loyal to Saraki were absent on Sunday during the Eld-el-Fitri prayers held at the New Yidi Road Prayer Ground in Ilorin.

Other political leaders in Kwara State that were absent included the Secretary to Kwara State Government, Isiaka Gold, and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Kawu Baraje.

Though no reason was given for their absence, our correspondent gathered that Saraki and many of his loyalists had not returned from Saudi Arabia where they had gone to for lesser hajj.

Saraki's media aide, Yusuf Olaniyonu; Ahmed's Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Muyideen Akorede, and Ahmad's media aide, Abdulrahman Sanni, in separate telephone interviews, confirmed that their principals were still in Mecca.

Sources, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent that Saraki and his loyalists went to Mecca to thank God for the Senate President's victory at the Code of Conduct Tribunal and to offer prayers for his victory at the Appeal Court.

Saraki had said that he was not perturbed by the Federal Government's appeal against his victory at the CCT and that he would also win at the Court of Appeal.

The prayers and celebrations were, however, peaceful as there were no reports of violence or break down of law and order across the state.

Reports indicated that there was tight security around many of the prayer grounds and worship centres in the state.

At the New Yidi Road Prayer Ground, though there was tight security, Muslim faithful started trooping to the prayer ground as early as 7am.

All the routes leading to the prayer ground were guarded by heavily armed security operatives, including traffic wardens. The heavy human and vehicular traffic caused gridlocks in some of the routes.

The Commissioner of Police, Kwara State Command, Lawan Ado, through the State Police Public Relations Officer, Ajayi Okasanmi, said 3,000 officials were deployed in the state while the Kwara State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Pedro Ideba, through the command's Public Relations Officer, Bilesanmi Henry, said that 2,000 NSCDC officials were deployed in the state to maintain law and order during the festivities.

Worshippers were thoroughly frisked by security operatives before they were allowed into the prayer ground. Some of worshippers, who came with polythene bags, sachet water and other unauthorised objects, were turned back.

Prayers at the prayer ground commenced about 9:30am and ended about 9:56am. The Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, while delivering his Sallah message, admonished Muslims to continue to sustain their religious obligations by living in peace and harmony with their fellow human beings.

He said, "We give thanks to the Almighty Allah, once again, for granting us His grace to observe the Ramadan fasting successfully. I enjoin Muslim faithful to sustain their obligation of living in peace and harmony with their fellow human beings."

The Chief Imam of Ilorin, Alhaji Muhammad Soliu, described life as vanity.

Meanwhile, Ahmad and Baraje have called on Nigerians to sustain the virtues of Ramadan by maintaining the love, togetherness and peaceful coexistence that characterised it.