iDeemlawfulTwo separate cases of mob violence have been recorded in Kano and Abuja following fatal attacks at mosques.
In Kano State, a man was reportedly lynched by an enraged crowd after being accused of killing a cleric, Ladan Zubairu, at the Yusuf Garko Mosque in the Maraba Quarters area on Monday morning.
Eyewitnesses said the suspect allegedly went to Mallam Zubairu’s residence and slaughtered him, reportedly severing his throat. The assailant was immediately chased by residents, beaten to death, and set on fire by the mob.
Police also confirmed that the mob went on to burn the suspect’s house, leading to the destruction of property after his death.
Reports indicated that hundreds of youths who killed the suspect later marched through the area, warning that anyone who committed a similar act would be dealt with instantly.
However, the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said calm had since returned to the community, with security operatives deployed to restore and maintain order.
He stated that police investigators recovered the victim’s severed throat from the suspect’s pocket, adding that both corpses were taken to the Mohammed Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital, Kano, where they were confirmed dead and are awaiting autopsy.
Kiyawa further disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, had directed a detailed and comprehensive investigation into the incident, with the aim of ensuring that all those involved are brought to justice.
“The police command appeals to the public to remain calm and cooperate with law enforcement agencies as the investigation unfolds. We urge citizens to provide any information that may aid the investigation and assure them that all information will be treated with confidentiality,” he said.
A similar incident was reported in Abuja, where a man was beaten to death by a mob after allegedly stabbing three worshippers during prayers at a mosque.
The suspect, identified as Laminde Boka, was lynched by an angry crowd after reportedly stabbing three worshippers to death in the early hours of Monday at a mosque in Kado Bimko, 1st Avenue area of the Gwarinpa District, Abuja.
A resident, Muhammad Auwal, told reporters during a visit to the community that Laminde was eventually overpowered by sympathisers and beaten to death.
Auwal, who runs a kiosk close to the mosque, said the first victim was an elderly man popularly known as Alhaji Wanzam, a local barber who usually arrived at the mosque around 4 a.m. to clean the premises before attending to customers.
According to him, “Alhaji Wanzam was cleaning the mosque when the suspect approached him and suddenly stabbed him with a knife.”
He said the suspect, believed to be under the influence of drugs, went on to attack others who tried to intervene.
“The second victim, who operated a grinding machine in a nearby market, was stabbed while trying to confront the suspect and later died on the way to the hospital,” Auwal added.
He further explained that the suspect chased other worshippers and caught up with a third man who fell while trying to escape. “He stabbed him to death on the spot,” he said.
Following the stabbings, sympathisers reportedly attacked the suspect with stones and sticks, inflicting injuries that eventually led to his death.
Auwal disclosed that the remains of Alhaji Wanzam were taken to his hometown in Gezawa, Kano State, while the second victim was buried in his home state of Katsina. The third victim, who was from Gombe State, was taken to Kubwa General Hospital in Abuja, as his relatives had not been located at the time.
The Village Head of Kado Bimko, Malam Ibrahim Isiaku, said the incident caused panic, forcing people who usually slept around the mosque and early morning worshippers to flee the area. He added that the mosque was later shut.
Isiaku said that after a meeting involving mosque officials, leaders of a nearby market and the manager of an adjoining filling station, it was agreed that no one would henceforth be allowed to sleep within the mosque premises.
