Mediaage NG News – KANO, Nigeria (Thursday 16th May, 2024)
The Nigerian Police has said that no fewer than 11 worshippers were killed and many others injured when a man attacked a mosque in Nigeria’s northern state of Kano on Wednesday morning.
It was alleged that a man sprayed the mosque with petrol and locked 40 worshippers inside before setting it on fire in Gezawa area of the state.
The Police also said a 38 year old suspect has been arrested in connection to the attack which they say was triggered by a family dispute over the sharing of inheritance.
Residents said flames engulfed the mosque after the attack with worshippers heard wailing as they struggled to open the locked doors.
After hearing the explosion, neighbours rushed to help those trapped inside, local media reported.
Rescue teams including bomb experts from the city of Kano were immediately deployed in response to the attack, a police statement also said.
However, the Police later confirmed that a bomb was not used in the attack.
The Fire Service in Kano said they were not called immediately the fire started, adding that they could have brought the situation under control much faster.
Kano Fire Service spokesman Saminu Yusuf, while speaking with the BBC, said they were only informed after locals had already put out the fire.
“In a situation like this, people are supposed to call us but we didn’t get any call from the location until after normalcy had returned,” Mr Yusuf said.
Police said the suspect confessed that his actions were part of a dispute over inheritance, claiming he was targeting some family members who were inside the mosque.
“What happened is not associated with any act of terrorism, rather it was a skirmish that arose as a result of inheritance distribution,” Umar Sanda, a local police chief, told journalists after visiting the scene.
“The suspect is presently with us and is giving out useful information,” Mr Sandahe added.
Initial reports said one worshipper had died from the attack but the death toll later rose after more victims died while receiving treatment at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital in Kano.
More victims, including children, are still receiving treatment at the hospital, according to police.
Islamic cleric Sheik Dauda Sulaiman says killing people while they’re praying is one of the biggest sins possible and that apart from repenting to God, the culprit should pay blood money to the families of those that died.
The whole village is now in mourning.