An explosion in a mosque in the early hours of Wednesday at Gadan Village, Gezawa local government area of Kano State, has left no fewer than 24 people critically injured.
SP Abdullahi Haruna, the Kano Police Command Public Relations Officer of the Kano Police, confirmed the incident in a statement on Wednesday.
“Today, May 15, 2024, at about 0520 hrs, 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 (EOD-CBRN) led by CSP Haruna Isma’il and other crime-scene policemen led by Divisional Police Officer, Gezawa Division, CSP Haruna Iliya.
“The scene was cordoned off, and twenty-four victims, including 20 male adults and 4 male children, were removed and rushed to Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital Kano, where they are currently receiving treatment,” he said.
According to Haruna, forensic analysis at the preliminary stage revealed a suspected petrol explosion, for which a full investigation is ongoing.
He also mentioned that the principal suspect had been identified and arrested, adding that the suspect is now with the police.
“The suspect is Shafi’u Abubakar, aged 38, who said his action was purely in hostility following a prolonged family disagreement over the 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,” Haruna disclosed.
While the suspect is currently in police custody, the police PRO noted that a detailed investigation is ongoing and will be made public in due course.
