Tension In Kano As Cleric Killed While Calling Muslims To Prayer

An elderly man named Ladan Zubairu was fatally attacked at the Yusuf Garko Mosque located in the Maraba Quarters of Kano on Monday morning.

According to PUNCH Metro, the individual suspected of the murder was swiftly pursued by an enraged mob, resulting in his lynching.

The mob also set fire to the suspect’s residence, which led to heightened panic in the area until security personnel intervened to restore order.

Isa Kasim, the son of the deceased, shared with journalists that his father had gone out at dawn to call the local Muslim community to prayer. He noted that after completing the initial call, Ladan Zubairu would typically sit for a brief moment to recite supplications before proceeding with the second call to prayer.

“He had just finished the first call and was seated when someone entered the mosque with a weapon, grabbed him and slaughtered him. In short, his throat was slit,” Kasim said.

He added that following the attack, some youths in the area mobilised and killed the assailant.

“By the will of God, the attacker did not escape. Members of the community gathered, tracked him down and killed him,” he said.

Kasim also revealed that after the assailant was killed, residents discovered the cleric’s severed throat wrapped in a nylon bag inside the suspect’s pocket.

Confirming the incident in a statement on Monday, the Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said officers quickly intervened to restore calm and prevent further escalation.

“Our officers quickly intervened to restore calm and prevent further escalation. Normalcy has now returned to Maraba Quarters,” Kiyawa said.

The police recovered both bodies and transported them to the Mohammed Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital for autopsy.

The state Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident.

“We are committed to ensuring that anyone found culpable will face the full force of the law,” Kiyawa added.

Authorities have appealed to residents to remain calm and provide any information that may assist the ongoing investigation.

This is not the first time a cleric has died under such circumstances in the state. In September, the family of an Islamic cleric in Kano State protested his death in police custody, alleging that he was tortured.

The cleric, Salim Usman, an imam from the Kuntau community in the Gwale Local Government Area of the Kano metropolis, reportedly died while in the custody of the State Criminal Investigation Department