The Kano State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of 38-year-old Shafi’u Abubakar, who set a mosque ablaze and trapped worshipers inside at Laraba Abasawa in Gezawa local government area on Wednesday morning.
Out of the 40 worshippers present during the attack, 24 sustained various degrees of burns. The injured were rushed to the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital in Kano for treatment.
Police spokesperson SP Haruna Kiyawa, in a statement on Wednesday, revealed that Shafi’u voluntarily surrendered to the police after the incident. Shafi’u confessed that he committed the arson out of provocation, targeting those he claimed had cheated him in a family inheritance dispute, who were all present in the mosque at the time.
“The principal suspect, Shafi’u Abubakar, aged 38 years, has been arrested. He stated that his actions were motivated by hostility following a prolonged family disagreement over the sharing of inheritance. Those he accused of cheating him were in the mosque, and he sought to make his grievances known through this act,” SP Kiyawa explained.
Shafi’u’s actions involved using petrol to ignite the fire and locking the mosque door to prevent worshippers from escaping. The community only became aware of the incident in time to rescue the trapped individuals.
The police have initiated a detailed investigation into the incident, promising to release further information as it becomes available.
