An Ilorin High Court has restrained the Kwara State Government and Artee Group from taking possession of the old Ilorin Eid praying ground pending the determination of the case.
Justice Nureni Kuranga issued a retraining order to ban the two parties from using the land until the suit is finally decided.
Artee Group had taken the state government to court over the old Eid praying ground land sold to it by former Governor Bukola Saraki.
With the restraining order, Kwara State Government and Artee Group cannot have anything to do with the old Eid praying ground until the suit is determined by the court.
Meanwhile, findings have shown that the Saraki-led government did not carry the Ministry of Environment which supervises the Amusement Park along with its ridiculous sale of the land.
The previous government just backed down orders to the ministry to vacate the land for Artee Group.
Wide condemnations had trailed the action of Bukola Saraki who was accused of selling collective patrimonies.
The old Eid praying ground houses the statue of the unknown soldier where the Armed Forces Remembrance Day usually took place to honour fallen heroes in Kwara State.
Further investigations revealed that the land was owned by the Magajinda family which agreed to convert it to Amusement Park for overriding public interest after the relocation of eid prayers to a more expansive land in Irewolede.
Meanwhile, some Ilorin elders had dragged Saraki’s government to court in 2013 over this action which they considered high-handed and offensive to communal sensibilities.
They also accused the former First Lady, Toyin Saraki, of using her influence to bring Artee Group to Kwara State.
