One person was confirmed dead and no fewer than 23 were critically injured on Wednesday, following an early morning mosque explosion at Gadan Village, in the Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State.
About 40 persons were in the mosque for the early morning prayer when the arsonist struck.
After carrying out his nefarious act, the man identified as Shafi’u Abubakar, 38, willingly submitted himself to the police.
The police confirmed yesterday that 24 persons sustained different degrees of burns from the incident when Abubakar used petrol to set the mosque ablaze after trapping the worshipers in the facility at Laraba Abasawa, Gezawa local government area of Kano State.
The victims were later rescued by other residents and rushed to the Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital in Kano where they are currently receiving treatment.
Abubakar told the police that he set the mosque on fire out of provocation to attack those who cheated him while sharing the family inheritance who were all present in the mosque at the time.
This information is contained in a statement released to newsmen in Kano by the police spokesperson Haruna Kiyawa, yesterday.
“The principal suspect has been identified and arrested, he is Shafi’u Abubakar aged 38 years who said his action was purely in hostility following a prolonged family disagreement over the sharing of inheritance of which those that he alleged to have cheated on him were in the mosque at that moment and he did that for his voice to be heard.
“While the suspect is currently in police custody, a detailed investigation is ongoing and will be made public in due course”, the statement said.
A resident of the community, who pleaded not to be mentioned, said it took some time for people outside to become aware of the incident and rescue those trapped inside.
Eventually, some good Samaritans managed to break open the mosque’s doors and rescue the worshippers.
One of the injured victims, Sadik Kamal told The PUNCH that when the flames engulfed the mosque, he desperately attempted to escape but found the exit doors securely locked.
“It was the latecomers who struggled to open the locked doors to make good the escape of those trapped to safety”, Kamal said.
According to him, Aminu has a history of violent behaviour in the village, adding that he had earlier brandished a machete, threatening fellow villagers.
Kamal said authorities had once arrested and sent Aminu to a psychiatric hospital for mental health evaluation.
“His latest action, bordering on arson is not an isolated incident”, Kamal said, noting that the suspect had previously not only set ablaze his brother’s car but also attacked him with a cutlass.
Zabiya Ibrahim, whose three uncles were among the victims, called for justice, alleging that Aminu’s actions were deliberate and not due to mental illness.
“He knows how to make money”, she said, recalling that he was involved in riding a popular local tricycle known as ‘Adai-Adai ta Sahu’ to make ends meet.
To this end, Ibrahim urged the government to ensure that Aminu was held responsible for his actions to serve as a deterrent to would-be culprits.
