Kano: Death Toll Rises To 11 As Angry Man Bombs Mosque Over Inheritance

Eleven people have been reported dead with many others battling their lives after an arson attack launched on a Kano mosque on Wednesday, OSUN DEFENDER reports.

The attack was arried out on Wednesday by a 38-year-old Shafiu Abubakar, who set a mosque on fire during the early morning prayer at Gadan village on the outskirts of Gezawa in Kano State.

The victims, about 40 worshippers which included a minor, one youth and others were said to be praying when the arsonist ignited fire and locked them inside the mosque to deny them a chance to escape over inheritance grievances.

A resident of the village Rabiu Gadan, confirmed to LEADERSHIP that 11 people have so far died due to the burns they suffered and that the funeral of eight of them had already been conducted while the corpses of the remaining three were being prepared for burial on Thursday.

Rabiu said the attack was not Shafiu’s first violent outburst as he had previously assaulted two of his older brothers and then surrendered himself o the police claiming he had killed them.

Another resident, Malam Garba, said, “He has always been troubled, but when he challenged his family to give him his portion of the inheritance, they did. He was even taken to a mental institution once when he attacked his relatives but he was given a clean bill of health. So, he was clearly in his right mind when he set the fire, two of his uncles died and we buried them yesterday already.”

Repots had it that the assailant is currently in police custody, where he already confessed to his actions, citing frustration with the manner some of the victims handled the inheritance sharing.

One such relatives, simply identified as Maijida, expressed her anguish, fearing the loss of her father and brothers. “My father and two brothers are severely injured and I was told some people have died already, what will I do if I lose them, I will be left all alone.”

One of the residents that attempted to rescue the victims, Musa Muhammad Gadan said, “I was late going to the prayers, but as I was rushing to the mosque, I heard a blasting noise and then I heard people screaming so I rushed over, the flames had engulfed the building, I and some others tried to rescue them and that is how I sustained burns on my arms.”

The Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 1 Kano, AIG Umar Mamman Sanda, had confirmed the tragic loss of eight lives on Wednesday.

The AIG confirmed the death upon visitation to the hospital, where the victims were hospitalised in the company of other security heads, the Commissioner of Police in the state and the Director of Department of State Service, DSS, among others.

He said: “What happened is not associated with any act of terrorism but rather, it was a skirmish that happened as a result of inheritance distribution.

“The suspect was said to be not satisfied with the distribution and was reacting to that. He is presently with us and is giving out useful information. It is really unfortunate. He used a locally made bomb to commit the crime.”