There was violence in Ikun Ekiti, a town under Moba Local Government on Tuesday as masqueraders attacked Muslims while breaking their fast in the Central Mosque.
The attack took place around 7pm when the Muslims had gathered in the mosque to observe the Maghrib prayer after breaking their Ramadan fast.
It was learnt that the masqueraders were irked that the Muslims had the effrontery to call for prayers when they were still celebrating their Egun festival.
The masquearders attacked the worshippers with cudgels, stone and iron and inflicted injuries on them.
About five of the worshippers were said to have sustained varying degrees of injury.
The hoodlums also smashed the windscreen and destroyed two cars parked at the entrance of the mosque.
The Acting Imam of the mosque, Alh. Abdul-Rasak Abubakar-Bello, was rushed to the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti, where he received stitches on his head.
Speaking from his hospital bed with DAILY POST, 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 waiting for us outside after initially attacking us inside the mosque with iron and woody rods.
“When we succeeded in locking ourselves inside the mosque, they started throwing stones at us”, he said.
Bello accused the Divisional Police Officer of ignoring the rescue calls made to him by the Muslim community as he refused to send his men there.
The Muslim community accused the traditional ruler of the town, Oba Olatunde Olusola, of supervising the attack on them.
Oba Olusola neither picked calls from our correspondent nor responded to a text message sent to him on the attack as of the time of filing this report.
Condemning the attack, the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations accused the monarch and the police of complicity in the attack on the Muslims.
In a statement jointly signed by the state Coordinator, Tajudeen Ahmed, and the Secretary, Musa Tijani, NACOMYO stated that the king had earlier warned the Muslims to keep their women away from the mosque on Tuesday being the grand finale day 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.”
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