BREAKING: Less than 5 hours after IEDPU event, Turaki’s Christmas billboards mysteriously taken down across Ilorin metropolis
Less than five hours after the annual Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) event, several billboards belonging to Senator Saliu Mustapha were brought down at various locations across the Ilorin metropolis.
The billboards, which featured messages from the Senator wishing Christians a Merry Christmas, were reportedly dismantled by unidentified individuals. This is the first time the Senator’s public Christmas messages have faced such actions, raising concerns among residents about the motives behind the incident.
Our correspondent, who witnessed one of the removals near the Ilorin International Airport, approached the individuals involved but was met with resistance. The individuals declined to provide their identities and avoided being captured on camera. However, one of them disclosed that they were acting on an “order from above”.
Similarly, a drive through the Ilorin metropolis where the eye-catching billboards used to be, it was observed that they had all been removed and carted away.
Efforts to contact the General Manager of the Kwara State Signage and Advertisement Agency (KWASAA), the body responsible for regulating outdoor advertising in the state, were unsuccessful as calls to his line did not connect.
While it remains unclear who ordered the removal of the billboards, the incident has sparked reactions from residents and observers. Some expressed concerns about the implications for political tolerance and inclusivity in Kwara State.
The incident is being seen by some as part of the larger political intrigues playing out in the state as the 2027 elections approach. Observers are calling for calm and an investigation into the matter to ascertain those responsible and their motives.
Neither Senator Mustapha’s team nor the Kwara State government has issued an official statement on the development as of the time of this report.
