The Kano mosque killing of an elderly cleric triggered mob justice in Maraba Quarters as police launched a full investigation
An elderly cleric, Ladan Zubairu, was brutally killed during early morning prayers at Yusuf Garko Mosque in Maraba Quarters, Kano, on Monday.
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The Kano mosque killing occurred at dawn when the victim went out to call Muslims to prayer, according to family members.
The deceased’s son, Isa Kasim, said Ladan Zubairu had completed the first call to prayer and sat briefly to recite supplications.
Kasim said a man entered the mosque armed with a weapon, seized the cleric and slit his throat.
He described the attack as sudden and shocking, leaving worshippers and residents traumatised.
Angered youths in the area immediately pursued the suspect after the attack.
Community members caught and lynched the assailant shortly after he fled the mosque.
Residents later set the suspect’s residence on fire, triggering panic across Maraba Quarters.
Security operatives arrived swiftly and restored order in the area.
Kasim said residents later found his father’s severed throat wrapped in a nylon bag inside the suspect’s pocket.
Confirming the incident, the Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Police Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said officers acted quickly to prevent further violence.
Kiyawa said normalcy had returned to Maraba Quarters following police intervention.
Police recovered both bodies and moved them to Mohammed Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital for autopsy.
The Kano State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, ordered a thorough investigation into the incident.
Police assured residents that anyone found culpable would face the full force of the law.
Authorities urged the public to remain calm and provide useful information to investigators.
The Kano mosque killing adds to previous concerns over violent deaths involving clerics in the state.
In September, the family of Salim Usman, an imam from Gwale Local Government Area, protested his death in police custody.
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The family alleged that Usman died following torture at the State Criminal Investigation Department.
