An elderly Islamic cleric, Ladan Zubairu, has been killed while calling Muslims to prayer at a mosque in Kano State.
The incident occurred on Monday morning at Yusuf Garko Mosque in the Maraba Quarters area of the metropolis. The cleric was said to have gone out at dawn to perform the first call to prayer when the attack happened.
Speaking with journalists, the deceased’s son, Isa Kasim, explained that his father usually rested briefly inside the mosque after the first call, where he recited supplications before making the second call.
“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.
Following the killing, tension spread through the area as youths reportedly mobilised and chased the suspected attacker. The suspect was later caught and lynched by an angry mob, while his residence was set on fire before security operatives moved in to restore order.
“By the will of God, the attacker did not escape. Members of the community gathered, tracked him down and killed him,” Kasim added.
Residents were said to have discovered the cleric’s severed throat wrapped in a nylon bag inside the suspect’s pocket after he was killed.
Confirming the incident in a statement, the Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said police officers swiftly intervened to prevent further breakdown of law and order in the community.
“Our officers quickly intervened to restore calm and prevent further escalation. Normalcy has now returned to Maraba Quarters,” Kiyawa said.
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 thorough investigation into the incident.
“We are committed to ensuring that anyone found culpable will face the full force of the law,” the police spokesperson added.
