Muslim faithful in Ilorin, Kwara State on Tiesday joined their counterparts across the globe to mark Eid-el-Fitr, which signified the end of Ramadan fast.
At the Ilorin Eid praying ground, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of the state, Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Zulu-Gambari and other eminent personalities converged to observe two prerogative rakats in line with Islamic injunctions.
The Chief Imam of Ilorin, Alhaji Muhammad Bashir Solihu, led the prayer at about 9:38am amidst heavy presence of security personnel.
In his sermon, Imam Solihu, admonished muslims to sustain the teachings of the just concluded holy month of Ramadan in their undertakings aftermath of the month.
He stated that muslims, in accordance with the prophetic saying, are expected to be their brother’s keepers and eschew any conduct that could derail them from the will of the Almighty Allah.
It was, however, observed that the prayer was held under peaceful atmosphere.
This medium reports that Governor Abdulrazaq had arrived the praying ground around 8:45am and ushered into the space provided for him in the midst of other worshippers while the Emir’s motorcade touched down some minutes past nine in the morning.
Many of the worshippers were seen discussing the early arrival of the governor to the praying ground in clusters.
He arrived the venue in his Hilux vehicle amidst cheers from the crowd.
It was observed that armed security operatives from the Department of State Services, Police, Civil Defence and Vigilante Group mounted eagle eye surveillance in and outside the praying ground to avert any form of security breach while the prayer lasted.Meanwhile, state governor has urged Muslim faithful to sustain the spirit of brotherhood demonstrated in recent times beyond the month of Ramadan.
This was contained in a Salah message signed by the deputy chief press secretary to the governor,Demola Olanrewaju and made available to journalists
The statement reads, “I greet our Muslim brethren on the successful completion of the (fasting) month of Ramadan. On the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitri, I pray Almighty Allah accepts our prayers and worships before, during and after Ramadan,” according to the Sallah message signed by the Deputy Chief Press Secretary Agboola D. Olarewaju.
“As we bid Ramadan goodbye, I urge Kwarans of all faiths to not jettison the spirit of Ramadan. We should remain our brother’s keepers, promote common humanity, do to others what we want done to us, and be good citizens.”
He also called on the faith community to continue to pray for the new administration, saying: “Our agenda is to serve the overall interest of the people and build a Kwara of our dream.”
