The Sokoto State Police Command said on Friday that a man has been killed by a mob for stabbing a prominent Islamic cleric, Sheikh Musa Lukuwa.
ASP Rufa’i Ahmad, the command’s public relations officer, told journalists that the deceased was killed in mob action after he stabbed Lukuwa in the stomach immediately after Friday prayers.
He said Lukuwa, who led the Friday congregation, was receiving treatment at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), while the deceased’s body had been evacuated.
The PPRO said no arrest had been made in connection with the incident, adding that the situation was under control.
The spokesperson urged people to remain calm and law-abiding.
Lukuwa was accused of blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad, a development that triggered anger among Muslim faithful.
A notorious Sokoto-based gangster, Dahiru Maibarewa, had earlier pledged to kill Lukuwa over utterances attributed to Prophet Mohammed.
The pledge sparked demonstrations in the Sokoto metropolis after Maibarewa’s arrest.
A coalition of Islamic groups had submitted a petition to the Sokoto State government against Lukuwa, urging authorities to sanction him over alleged utterances capable of instigating violence.
At a press conference on September 4, Islamic Cleric Sheikh Abubakar Yagawal called on Muslims to reject any cleric spreading blasphemous content for peaceful coexistence in the country.
Yagawal, leader of the National Sufi Council of Nigeria and National Commissioner in the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), described Lukuwa’s utterances as unbecoming and capable of instigating violence.
The cleric stressed that the coalition had called on the federal and state governments, as well as security agencies, to investigate the utterances.
According to him, the groups are collaborating to ensure justice on the matter for safety and peaceful coexistence.
He noted that blasphemy against the prophet attracts calamity and chaos in society.
