The Kano State Police Command has confirmed that 11 persons died following Wednesday’s bombing incident at a mosque in Gadan Village, Gezawa Local Government Area of the state.
Kano police command’s spokesperson, Abdullahi Haruna, told the Punch that three more of the victims died on Wednesday, raising the figure to 11 from the eight casualties recorded on Wednesday.
The police had on Wednesday said they arrested a 38-year-old man, Shafi’u Abubakar, who bombed a mosque Gadan Village.
“The suspect is Shafi’u Abubakar, aged 38, who said his action was purely in hostility, following a prolonged family disagreement over sharing of inheritance of which those that he alleged to have cheated on him were in the mosque at that moment and he did that for his voice to be heard,” the police spokesman said.
The Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 1, Umar Sanda, confirmed the incident when a delegation of security personnel visited the victims at Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital.
“What happened is not associated with any act of terrorism, rather it was a skirmish that arose as a result of inheritance distribution.
“The suspect was said not to be satisfied with the distribution and was reacting to that. He is presently with us and is giving out useful information.
“Out of the 24 that were admitted here, one is dead. It is really unfortunate. He used a locally-made bomb to commit the crime,” he said.
The earlier statement by the PPRO read, “Today, 15/05/2024, at about 0520hrs, reports were received that there was an explosion at a mosque in Gadan Village, Gezawa LGA, Kano State, during ‘Subhi Prayer’ and that some people got injured.
“On receipt of the report, the Commissioner of Police, Kano State Command, CP Mohammed Usaini Gumel, immediately deployed the command’s combined teams consisting of experts in Explosive Ordnance Disposal-Chemical Biological, Radiological and Nuclear led by CSP Haruna Isma’il and other crime-scene policemen, led by the Divisional Police Officer, Gezawa Division, Haruna Iliya.
“The scene was cordoned off and 24 victims, including 20 male adults and four male children, were removed and rushed to Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, Kano, where they are currently receiving treatment.”
According to eyewitness accounts, shortly after pouring fuel inside the mosque, Aminu locked the doors, thereby trapping worshippers inside, before setting off the bomb.
A victim said he made attempt to get out of the mosque but found that the doors were locked. It took the arrival of latecomers to assist to open the doors from outside to enable trapped victims to escape.
A witness said Aminu had a history of violent behaviour in the village, adding that he had earlier brandished a machete, threatening fellow villagers.
It was also learnt that Aminu was once arrested and sent to a psychiatric hospital for mental health evaluation.
The suspect had also previously set ablaze his brother’s car and attacked him with a cutlass.
Zabiya Ibrahim, whose three uncles were among the victims, called for justice, alleging that Aminu’s actions were deliberate and not due to mental illness.
“He knows how to make money,” she said, recalling that he was involved in riding a popular local tricycle known as ‘Adai-Adai ta Sahu’ to make ends meet.
