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Tension gripped the Sokoto metropolis on Friday after an Islamic cleric, Malam Musa Lukwa, was allegedly stabbed shortly after leading Juma’at prayers at his mosque in the Mabera area of the city.
The cleric was reportedly attacked twice on the neck by a youth identified as Mai Barewa, who was said to be among the worshipers at the mosque during collective Friday prayers.
The incident reportedly occurred shortly after the prayers ended, when worshipers were still inside the mosque premises. Project reports
The suspect’s move before launching the attack on the cleric
Sources close to the incident said the suspected attacker was sitting among worshipers, reportedly in one of the front rows, before allegedly walking towards Lukwa and stabbing him in the neck.
The attack reportedly caused panic among worshipers, who immediately took action to detain the suspect.
The sources said the suspect was eventually overpowered by the cleric’s followers and other worshipers at the scene, but was later beaten to death before security personnel could intervene.
The incident then led to two separate acts of violence: the alleged stabbing of the cleric and the killing of the alleged attacker by an angry mob.
Confirming the incident, Sokoto State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, said Lukwa survived the attack and was receiving medical treatment at the Sokoto Specialty Hospital.
Rufa’i also confirmed that the alleged attacker was killed by the cleric’s followers.
He said no arrests had been made in connection with the ensuing violence at the time of filing the report, while assuring residents that the command had taken measures to prevent the situation from worsening.
Attack linked to previous religious controversies
Preliminary reports suggest Friday’s attack may have been linked to a religious controversy surrounding an earlier sermon delivered by Lukwa.
According to sources, the cleric during the sermon had quoted a Hadith that some Islamic scholars, particularly those associated with the Tariqa order, would have considered offensive towards the parents of the prophet Muhammad.
The sermon is said to have sparked controversy among some members of the community and led to threats against the cleric.
Sources said Mai Barewa later threatened to kill Lukwa and one of his senior students, Malam Murtala Assada.
The alleged threat would have pushed the cleric and his followers to contact the police and formally report the matter.
The suspect had reportedly been arrested
Following the complaint, the alleged attacker was reportedly arrested by the police and arraigned before a court.
The court is said to have ordered that he be detained in a correctional facility for a period while proceedings on the matter continued.
However, the issue reportedly remained a source of concern among clerics and their supporters, particularly in the context of alleged threats against Lukwa and Assada.
The sources said that concerns for the cleric’s safety persist despite previous intervention by law enforcement.
The situation reportedly reached another level four days before Friday’s attack when Lukwa and his associates visited the Sokoto State Government House to lodge a written complaint regarding the alleged threat to his life.
The visit was said to be part of efforts to draw the attention of state authorities to security concerns surrounding the cleric and his followers.
The police launch an investigation
The police command said it was investigating both Lukwa’s stabbing and the circumstances surrounding the subsequent killing of the suspected attacker.
Rufa’i said investigators were working to establish what led to the attack and determine the sequence of events that followed after the cleric was stabbed.
He added that the command will also try to identify anyone who may have participated in the killing of the suspected attacker.
The police spokesperson did not say whether any other suspects had been identified or whether arrests were imminent.
He, however, assured residents that security personnel were deployed to prevent the incident from triggering further violence or disrupting public peace in the Sokoto metropolis.
The authorities urge residents to remain calm
The police have appealed to residents to remain calm and avoid actions that could aggravate the situation.
The command particularly urged citizens to refrain from taking justice into their own hands, stressing the need for residents to allow security agencies to investigate the circumstances of the incident.
The appeal is inserted in the context of the two episodes of violence recorded in a short period: the alleged attack on the cleric and the killing of the alleged attacker by the crowd.
Friday’s incident has consequently heightened concerns about the possibility of religious disagreements escalating into violence, particularly where allegations of threats and countermeasures are involved.
For now, Lukwa remains under medical care at the Sokoto Specialist Hospital as police investigators continue to piece together the events that preceded the stabbing and the violence that followed.
The command is also expected to establish all circumstances surrounding the previous threat allegedly made against the cleric, the legal proceedings involving the suspect and how the matter culminated in Friday’s attack.
While security personnel continue to be present in the area, authorities continued to appeal for restraint from all sides, warning against retaliatory action or the release of information that could inflame tensions in the city.
