Tragedy struck the Maraba Quarters area of Kano on Monday morning when an elderly Islamic cleric, Ladan Zubairu, was brutally murdered inside a mosque while calling worshippers to the dawn prayer.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the cleric was at the Yusuf Garko Mosque performing the first adhan (call to prayer) when the assailant struck.
Witnesses said the attacker entered the mosque shortly after the first call and launched a violent attack on the cleric as he sat briefly to recite supplications ahead of the second call.
Confirming the incident, the deceased’s son, Isa Kasim, told journalists that his father’s throat was slit inside the mosque.
“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.
The killing immediately triggered outrage in the community. Youths in the area reportedly pursued the suspect as he fled the scene, caught up with him and lynched him.
In the ensuing unrest, the suspect’s residence was also set ablaze, sparking panic before security operatives intervened.
Kasim further disclosed that residents later found his father’s severed throat wrapped in a nylon bag inside the suspect’s pocket.
The Kano State Police Command confirmed the incident, saying officers were swiftly deployed to the area to contain the situation and prevent further breakdown of law and order.
The Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said in a statement that normalcy had been restored in Maraba Quarters following the intervention of security personnel.
“Our officers quickly intervened to restore calm and prevent further escalation. Normalcy has now returned to Maraba Quarters,” he said.
According to the police, the bodies of both the cleric and the suspected attacker were recovered and taken to the Mohammed Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital for autopsy.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, has ordered a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the killing and the subsequent mob action.
“We are committed to ensuring that anyone found culpable will face the full force of the law,” the police spokesman added, while appealing to residents to remain calm and cooperate with investigators.
The incident has renewed concerns over violent attacks on clerics in Kano State. In September, tension gripped parts of the state after the family of another Islamic cleric, Salim Usman, protested his death in police custody, alleging torture.
Usman, an imam from the Kuntau community in Gwale Local Government Area, reportedly died while being held at the State Criminal Investigation Department.
Authorities say investigations into the latest killing are ongoing.
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