An elderly Islamic cleric, Ladan Zubairu, was on Monday morning brutally killed while calling worshippers to prayer at the Yusuf Garko Mosque in the Maraba Quarters area of Kano State.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the cleric was attacked at dawn shortly after completing the first call to prayer. The assailant was later chased and lynched by an angry mob, while his residence was set ablaze, throwing the neighbourhood into panic before security operatives intervened.
Speaking with journalists, the deceased’s son, Isa Kasim, said his father had stepped out early, as usual, to perform the call to prayer.
“He normally makes the first call, sits briefly to recite supplications, and then proceeds with the second call,” Kasim explained.
He said tragedy struck moments after the first call. “He had just finished and was seated when someone entered the mosque with a weapon, grabbed him and slaughtered him. His throat was slit,” he said.
Kasim added that youths in the community quickly mobilised after the attack and pursued the suspect. “By the will of God, the attacker did not escape. Members of the community gathered, tracked him down and killed him,” he stated.
According to him, residents later discovered the cleric’s severed throat wrapped in a nylon bag inside the suspect’s pocket.
Confirming the incident, the Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said officers were swiftly deployed to the area to restore calm and prevent further violence.
“Our officers quickly intervened to restore calm and prevent further escalation. Normalcy has now returned to Maraba Quarters,” Kiyawa said.
He disclosed that both bodies had been recovered and taken to the Mohammed Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital for autopsy, adding that the Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, had ordered a thorough investigation.
“We are committed to ensuring that anyone found culpable will face the full force of the law,” the police spokesman said.
The police also appealed to residents to remain calm and cooperate with investigators by providing useful information.
