An elderly man, identified as Ladan Zubairu was killed on Monday morning at the Yusuf Garko Mosque in the Maraba Quarters area of Kano.
Reports indicate that the suspect was immediately chased by an angry mob and lynched, while his residence was set on fire, triggering panic in the area before security operatives restored order.
Speaking with journalists, the deceased’s son, Isa Kasim, said his father had gone out at dawn to call Muslims to prayer when the incident occurred.
He explained that after making the first call to prayer, his father would usually sit briefly to recite 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.
He added that after the attack, some youths in the area reportedly mobilized and killed the assailant.
“By the will of God, the attacker did not escape. Members of the community gathered, tracked him down and killed him,” he said.
Kasim further said that after the assailant was killed, residents discovered the cleric’s severed throat wrapped in a nylon bag in the suspect’s pocket.
Confirming the incident in a statement on Monday, the Kano State Police Public Relations Officer CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa said officers swiftly intervened to restore calm and prevent further escalation.
“Our officers quickly intervened to restore calm and prevent further escalation. Normalcy has now returned to Maraba Quarters,” Kiyawa said.
The police recovered the bodies and transported them to the Mohammed Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital for autopsy.
The state Commissioner of Police 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,” Kiyawa added.
Authorities have urged residents to remain calm and provide any information that could assist with the ongoing investigation.
This is not the first time a cleric has died under suspicious circumstances in Kano state. In September, the family of an Islamic cleric protested his death in police custody, alleging he had been tortured.
The cleric, Salim Usman, an imam from the Kuntau community in the Gwale Local Government Area, reportedly died while in the custody of the State Criminal Investigation Department.
