Masquerades attack Muslims in Ekiti, destroy mosque, properties worth millions

There was pandemonium in Ikun Ekiti, a town in Moba local government area of Ekiti state on Tuesday when masqueraders attacked Muslims while breaking their Ramadan fast in the Central Mosque.

Our correspondent gathered that the attack took place at sunset around 7pm when the Muslims had gathered in the mosque to observe the Maghrib prayer after breaking their Ramadan fast.

Investigation revealed that the masqueraders were irked that the Muslims had the effrontery to call for prayers when they were still celebrating their Egun festival, following which they set out to attack the worshipers with cudgels, stones and iron rods, inflicting injuries on them.

Alt the time of filing this report, no fewer than nine worshipers have sustained varying degrees of injury due the attack while the two cars parked at the entrance of the mosque were smashed with axe and stone by the hoodlums

The acting Imam of the mosque, Alh. Abdul-Rasak Abubakar-Bello, was not speared in the attack as he was rushed to the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti, where he received stitches on his head.

Speaking from his hospital bed with our correspondent, Bello said the Muslims were held hostage in the mosque for four hours by the masqueraders, who threatened to kill them.

“There was no way we could escape because they were waiting for us outside after initially attacking us inside the mosque with iron rods and woods. When we succeeded in locking ourselves inside the mosque, they started throwing stones at us.”

Bello accused the Divisional Police Office of snubbing the rescue calls made to him by the Muslim community as he allegedly refused to send his men there. The Muslim community also accused the traditional ruler of the town, Oba Olatunde Olusola, of supervising the attack on them.

But all telephone calls put across to Oba Olusola to have his own side of the story were not picked just as he equally failed to respond to a text message sent to him on the attack.

In a statement jointly signed by the state coordinator, of the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations, Tajudeen Ahmed, and the secretary, Musa Tijani, (NACOMYO), both the monarch and the police were accused of complicity in the attack on the Muslims.

The statement stated that the Oba had earlier warned the Muslims to keep their women away from the mosque on Tuesday being the grand finale of their masquerade festival.

“HRH David Olatunde Olusola, was said to have written a letter to the Muslim Community of Ikun Ekiti to ensure that their women are kept indoors.The Muslim Community of Ikun Ekiti ensured total compliance by keeping all their female members indoor.

“While the innocent and fasting Muslims were being tormented, the Muslims made frantic efforts to reach out to the police authorities at Ikun and Moba Local Government respectively to come to their rescue but the DPO turned down the invitation of the Muslims and dissuaded the police from going to the scene on the basis that the Onikun of Ikun Ekiti has confirmed to the DPO that there is no crisis whatsoever at Ikun Ekiti.

“On our part, we condemn the invasion of the Ikun Ekiti Central Mosque by the masqueraders and the monumented assault meted on the fasting Muslims. We see the invasion as an abominable act that is most sacrilegious. It is a clear cut defilement of the sacred mosque and an unnecessary provocation of the Muslim faithful.