A Chadian has allegedly killed a 70-year-old man, Alkassim Muhammed, who served as the muezzin of a mosque in the Maraba-Hotoro area of Kano metropolis.
The muezzin, also known as Malam Zubairu, was reportedly attacked in the early hours of Monday as he stepped out to call worshippers to the Subhi (early morning) prayer.
The younger brother of the deceased, Bala Muhammed, said, “The assailant cut off part of his throat after killing him, allegedly for ritual purposes. The part was later recovered and buried along with his body. We washed his body outside his house because his wives could not withstand seeing it.”
Mustapha Kassim, a son of the deceased, said his younger brother woke him up with a phone call to inform him that their father had been slaughtered.
He said, “My younger brother told me on the phone that our father had been slaughtered. I was unconscious for some time until my wife poured water on me before I regained consciousness.
“I was later told that the attacker was a Chadian who had recently relocated to the neighbourhood. After killing our father, he tried to kill another person elsewhere before he was overpowered and killed by people who had gathered to assist.”
He said the suspected killer moved into another house where he stabbed a 26-year-old man, Suleiman Abdullahi Suleiman, which reportedly attracted the attention of other residents who descended on the attacker with clubs and knives, beat him to death and set his corpse ablaze.
A resident, Alhassan Muhammad, said the suspected killer was a Chadian aged between 30 and 32 who bought the house he lived in about three years ago.
He said residents were unaware of his business, though that he was believed to travel frequently to Libya.
He further said, “When the mob attacked the house, it was his elder brother who called the police. The mob attempted to set three houses, including that of the elder brother, ablaze, but they were dispersed by the police, who fired teargas.”
Three immigration personnel drafted to the residence of the suspected Chadian declined to comment on their mission but hinted that the state’s comptroller was on his way to assess the situation.
A neighbour, who identified himself as Umar, said he had been on his sick bed for nearly five years following an accident and had no formal relationship with the attacker despite living next door to him and his family.
He said, “The upstairs building belongs to his elder brother, while the two flats belonged to him. They hardly spoke to us and kept to themselves. So, I cannot precisely say what they were doing.”
He said the incident had renewed calls for ward heads to conduct background checks on people seeking to buy property or rent houses in their areas.
Police spokesman in the state, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, in a statement, said, “According to eyewitness accounts, the suspect was immediately pursued by an angry mob and lynched. The mob also set the suspect’s residence ablaze, causing destruction of property.
“However, the police command is pleased to report that normalcy has been restored in the area, with security personnel deployed to maintain law and order.”
He appealed to the public to remain calm and cooperate with law enforcement agencies as investigations commenced.
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