An elderly man identified as Ladan Zubairu was killed on Monday morning at Yusuf Garko Mosque in the Maraba Quarters area of Kano, triggering violent reactions within the community before security operatives restored order.
The suspect behind the killing was immediately pursued by an angry mob and lynched, while his residence was set ablaze, causing panic in the area. Security personnel later intervened to contain the situation and restore calm.
The deceased’s son, Isa Kasim, said his father had gone out at dawn to perform his usual duty of calling Muslims to prayer. He explained that after making the first call to prayer, his father typically sat briefly to recite supplications before proceeding with 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 following the attack, youths in the area mobilised and pursued 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 revealed that after the assailant was killed, residents 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 quickly intervened to prevent further escalation and restore calm in the area. “Our officers quickly intervened to restore calm and prevent further escalation. Normalcy has now returned to Maraba Quarters,” Kiyawa said.
He disclosed that the police recovered both bodies and transported them to the Mohammed Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital for autopsy. The Commissioner of Police in the state, 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 appealed to residents to remain calm and to provide any information that could assist ongoing investigations.
The incident adds to past cases involving the deaths of clerics in Kano State. In September, the family of an Islamic cleric, Salim Usman, an imam from the Kuntau community in Gwale Local Government Area of the Kano metropolis, protested his death in police custody, alleging that he was tortured. The cleric reportedly died while in the custody of the State Criminal Investigation Department.
