Kano mosque bombing death toll hits 21

The death toll in the May 15 bombing of a mosque at Gadan village, Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State, has risen to 21.

Freelanews learnt on Thursday that four more victims of the incident had died, raising the figure to 21 from the 17 reported last week Tuesday, May 21.

A total of 25 early-morning worshippers were injured in the mosque bombing attack. While one person died on the date of the incident, 20 have died at the Muhammed Specialists Hospital, Kano, where they had been receiving treatment, leaving only four surviving.

The Chairman of Friends of the Hospital, Alhaji Bature AbdulAziz, revealed the latest development on Thursday, when he led some members of the Kano Business Community on a sympathy visit to the four remaining victims of the attack at the hospital.

A 38-year-old man, Shafi’u Abubakar, had attacked the mosque with a locally-fabricated bomb, injuring many.

”We have so far lost 21 persons and we are left with only four other patients in the hospital,” AbdulAziz disclosed.

He commended the management of the hospital, for taking good medical care of the victims.

Abdul’Aziz, who is also the National President of the Patriotic Elders Forum, also commended the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, the wife of the Presient, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Kano State Government, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, and many others, for their donations to the victims.

He also thanked the Kano Business Community for donating N80,000 to each of the victims and also giving N20,000 to so many other patients currently on admission at the hospital.

The Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, had ordered the prosecution of the bombing mastermind before the Shariah Court, vowing that he would not hesitate to sign the death warrant if the suspect is convicted and sentenced to death.

According to the police, the suspect explained that “his action was purely in hostility, following a prolonged family disagreement over the sharing of inheritance of which those that he alleged to have cheated on him were in the mosque at that moment and he did that for his voice to be heard.”

On Tuesday, May 21, the suspect was taken before an Upper Shari’a Court sitting in Rijiyar Zaki, Kano, where he was arraigned on three counts bordering on “grievous hurt and culpable homicide”.

The Kano State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Haruna Dederi, who appeared as the prosecution counsel, told the court that the defendant that at about 5:15 am on May 15, 2024, the defendant used petrol to set a mosque at Gadan Village on fire during subhi (dawn) prayer.

Quadri Olaitan