A tragic and violent incident occurred in the Maraba Quarters area of Kano on Monday morning when an elderly Islamic cleric, Ladan Zubairu, was brutally murdered inside the Yusuf Garko Mosque during early morning prayers.

According to eyewitness accounts, the cleric had arrived at the mosque at dawn to perform his customary duty of calling Muslims to prayer. After completing the first call to prayer, he sat inside the mosque to recite supplications, as was his routine, while waiting to make the second call.

It was during this brief moment that a man allegedly entered the mosque armed with a weapon, attacked the cleric, and slit his throat. The assault happened swiftly, leaving worshippers and residents in shock.

The deceased’s son, Isa Kasim, spoke to journalists, describing his father's killing as sudden and horrifying. He explained that his father was seated peacefully within the mosque when the assailant struck. "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 recounted.

Following the murder, the suspect attempted to flee but was quickly pursued by local youths and other residents. In an act of anger, the mob caught up with the attacker, lynched him, and subsequently set his house on fire, which heightened tension and panic in the neighborhood.

Kasim later reported a disturbing discovery made after the suspect's death. Residents found the cleric’s severed throat wrapped in a nylon bag inside the attacker’s pocket, which deepened the community's shock and outrage.

CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, the Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the incident and noted that security operatives were quickly deployed to restore calm and prevent further disturbances. He stated that, although the situation escalated initially, normalcy has since returned to Maraba Quarters.

Police authorities recovered the bodies of both the slain cleric and the suspected attacker and transported them to the Mohammed Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital for autopsy and further examination.

The Commissioner of Police in Kano State, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, has ordered a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the killing, including the attacker’s identity, motive, possible accomplices, and the mob action that ensued.

The police have appealed to residents to remain calm, avoid taking the law into their own hands, and cooperate with investigators by providing any useful information that could assist in the ongoing investigation. Authorities reiterated their commitment to ensuring justice is served and that anyone found culpable will face the full consequences of the law.