By Steve Oni, Ilorin
Worried by recent unsavoury developments and political upheavals in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a concerned citizen of Kwara State, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, has called on opinion leaders, the Imams, Alfas, various development associations , community leaders and the traditional rulers in the Ilorin Emirate to urgently rise and defend jealously the sanctity and tranquility Ilorin city is known for.
According to him, all sons and daughters of the ancient city should come together irrespective of their political differences and protect that exalted position of the Emir of Ilorin from being rubbished by intruders who don’t have a stake in the oneness of the community.
Alhaji Baraje, who said he was shocked and saddened by the latest mayhem perpetrated by some outsiders with the active connivance of some people of the emirate, said such dastardly acts should give any bonafide child of Ilorin great concern.
The PDP chieftain, who was reacting to the recent fracas in the community where innocent people lost their lives and vehicles and properties were destroyed, said all sons and daughters of Ilorin community and its environs should shun all forms of political violence and come together for the continued peace and harmony for which the state is known.
Alhaji Baraje lamented that with the happenings in the past few months, it appeared that the fracas was beyond politics but rather, other motives which had made him to raise this alarm. Hence his appeal to all and sundry not to just sit down and fold their arms and allow satan to override their sense of judgement or reasoning, warning that this is beyond politics.
He recalled that sometimes around the late fifties and mid- sixties when similar situation occurred in Ilorin between the ruling party then and the opposition, the opposition still recognised and respected the traditional authority and did not support outsiders to come and cause violence in Ilorin.
Alhaji Kawu Baraje therefore called on the opposition to recognise and respect the sanctity of the traditional leadership and let there be peace in the city.
Alhaji Baraje also called on all sons and daughters of Ilorin community to put efforts together not to allow such to happen again and equally appealed to security operatives to bring all those identified to be behind the mayhem no matter how highly placed to book to serve as a deterrent to others who have similar devilish intentions.
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