Tragedy struck the Maraba Quarters area of Kano on Monday morning after an Islamic cleric, Ladan Zubairu, was brutally killed inside Yusuf Garko Mosque during early morning prayers.
The incident occurred at dawn when the cleric went to the mosque to call Muslims to prayer. Shortly after the first call to prayer, an unidentified man reportedly entered the mosque and attacked him.
Speaking to journalists, the deceased’s son, Isa Kasim, said his father had completed the first call to prayer and was seated, reciting supplications, when the assailant struck.
“He had just finished the first call and was seated when someone entered the mosque with a weapon, grabbed him and slaughtered him. His throat was slit,” Kasim said.
He explained that the attack caused panic in the area, prompting youths and residents to pursue the suspect as he fled the scene.
According to him, the assailant was eventually caught by an angry mob and lynched, while his house was also set ablaze before security operatives intervened.
“By the will of God, the attacker did not escape. Members of the community gathered, tracked him down and killed him,” Kasim added.
He further revealed that after the suspect was killed, residents allegedly found the cleric’s severed throat wrapped in a nylon bag inside the attacker’s pocket.
Confirming the incident, the Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said police officers were promptly deployed to the area to restore calm and prevent further violence.
“Our officers quickly intervened to restore calm and prevent further escalation. Normalcy has now returned to Maraba Quarters,” Kiyawa said in a statement on Monday.
He disclosed that the bodies of both the cleric and the suspect were recovered and taken to the Mohammed Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital for autopsy.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the killing.
“We are committed to ensuring that anyone found culpable will face the full force of the law,” the police spokesperson added.
Authorities have urged residents to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies by providing useful information to aid the investigation.
The incident adds to a troubling pattern in the state. In September, the family of another Islamic cleric, Salim Usman from the Kuntau community in Gwale Local Government Area, protested his death in police custody, alleging that he was tortured while being detained by the State Criminal Investigation Department.
