Tension has gripped Sokoto metropolis after an Islamic cleric, Malam Musa Lukwa, was allegedly stabbed shortly after leading the Juma’at prayer at his mosque in the Mabera area of the city on Friday.
The cleric was reportedly attacked twice in the neck by a young man identified as Mai Barewa, who was among the worshippers at the mosque.
Sources said the suspect had been sitting among the worshippers, reportedly in one of the front rows, before allegedly launching the attack on Lukwa immediately after the prayer.
The situation reportedly turned violent as worshippers overpowered the suspect and beat him to death.
Confirming the incident, the spokesman for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, said Lukwa was receiving treatment at the Specialist Hospital, Sokoto.
Rufa’i also confirmed that the suspected attacker had been killed by the cleric’s followers, adding that no arrest had been made in connection with the ensuing violence.
He said the police had deployed measures to prevent the situation from escalating, while the command was investigating the incident to establish the circumstances surrounding the attack and identify anyone else who might have been involved.
The attack was reportedly linked to a lingering controversy over a sermon previously delivered by Lukwa, during which he cited a Hadith that some Islamic scholars, particularly those associated with the Tariqa order, allegedly considered offensive to the parents of Prophet Muhammad.
Following the controversy, the suspect, Mai Barewa, allegedly threatened to kill Lukwa and his senior student, Malam Murtala Assada.
The cleric and his followers subsequently reported the alleged threat to the police, leading to the suspect’s arrest and arraignment before a court.
The court later ordered that he be remanded in a correctional facility for some time while the case remained pending.
Four days before Friday’s attack, the clerics reportedly visited the Sokoto State Government House, where they submitted a written complaint concerning the matter.
The latest incident has heightened tension in the city, with the police moving to prevent further violence as investigations continue into the stabbing of the cleric and the subsequent mob killing of the alleged attacker.
