A large crowd of residents, visitors and dignitaries converged on the Kwara Baseball Park in Adewole, Ilorin, on Thursday for the 2026 Ilorin Emirate Grand Durbar.
The colourful event, organised as part of the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations, featured horse riding displays, cultural performances, drumming and traditional music.
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, were among prominent personalities present at the festival, alongside traditional chiefs, clerics, government officials and business figures.
Horse riders thrilled spectators with organised parades and displays, while many attendees appeared in colourful native attires.
To ensure security during the celebration, operatives of the police, army and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were deployed across the venue.
The Durbar Committee had earlier disclosed plans to strengthen security through the installation of CCTV cameras at strategic locations, while about 500 horses were expected to participate in the event.
Addressing guests at the celebration, the Balogun Alanamu of Ilorin, Alhaji Usman Atolagbe, described the emirate as an example of unity among different ethnic groups.
He said, “Fulani, Yoruba, Nupe, Baruba, Hausa, Kanuri, Gobirawa and several other communities have continued to live together peacefully under the Ilorin Emirate structure.”
Also speaking, the Mogaji of Odo-Okun Community, Alhaji Kabir Dogo, noted that the yearly Durbar had continued to promote unity and support economic growth in Ilorin and Kwara State.
