Former Senate President and PPP leader in Kwara State, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki at the central eid prayer ground in Ilorin. Credit: Toheeb Omotayo
Thousands of Muslim faithful on Wednesday converged on the ancient Central Eid Prayer Ground in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, to observe the Eid-el-Kabir prayers, with prominent political figures including Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, and Senator Saliu Mustapha in attendance.
The prayer session, which commenced at exactly 9:40 a.m., was led by Imam Imole, Abdullahi Abdulhamid and was followed by the symbolic slaughtering of the ram; a sacred traditional rite historically performed first by the lead imam.
The 2026 Eid-el-Kabir celebration also marked the first major Eid gathering in Ilorin following the death of the 12th Chief Imam of Ilorin, Sheikh Bashir Saliu, who died on January 19, 2026, at the age of 75 after a brief illness in Abuja.
The late cleric had served the Ilorin Emirate for more than four decades.
