The Kano police are detaining a man identified as Shafi’u Abubakar who is suspected to have set a mosque a blaze early Wednesday morning at Laraba Abasawa in Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State.
Worshipers were inside the mosque praying when the suspect walked in, locked the doors and started the fire. At least 20 worshippers said to have sustained serious injuries have been rushed to Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital in Kano.
Kano State Commissioner of Police, Mr Usaini Gumel, said the 38-year-old suspect had confessed to attacking the mosque because of a long-standing family dispute over inheritance sharing.
“On May 15, 2024, at about 5:20 a.m. the police received a report of an explosion at a mosque in Gadan Village during the dawn prayer, leaving several people injured.
“Promptly, a team of security personnel, including experts in Explosive Ordnance Disposal Chemical Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (EOD-CBRN), were deployed to the scene.
“Twenty-four victims, including 20 males and four children, who sustained various degrees of injuries were rushed to Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital Kano for treatment, ” he said.
The CP said that preliminary forensic analysis indicated that the explosion was caused by a petrol bomb and a detailed investigation was ongoing.
He said the police were continuing with investigations and would release further details in due course.
