A Forgotten Bag, Four Gunshots: Sheikh Masussuka’s final evening

Sheikh Yahaya Masussuka was preparing to leave his home in Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, on Monday evening when his wife, Fatima, accompanied him outside.

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He was going to teach his Almajirai students. But he had forgotten his bag, and she returned indoors to retrieve it.

Then she heard four gunshots.

“Before I knew what was happening, I heard four gunshots. When I came out, I discovered that he had been shot,” Mrs Yahaya told PUNCH.

The cleric was shot outside his residence in Karambanin Ɗan Abba, Bakin Kasuwa. Adamu Abubakar, described by an associate as his close friend, was also killed.

In another part of Dutsin-Ma, Abdulrahim Sabiu was preparing the studio where Mr Masussuka regularly conducted his evening teaching activities.

Gunfire at Karambanin Ɗan Abba

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The police placed the shooting at about 7.30 p.m. But Aliyu Ladan, a neighbour who had known the cleric for approximately 20 years, recalled that it happened around 8.30 p.m., after the Isha prayer.

Mr Ladan told PREMIUM TIMES that he was returning from the roadside when he saw Mr Masussuka coming out and noticed that a vehicle had been started.

He was near the entrance when he heard several gunshots.

Mr Ladan said he looked towards the scene after the shooting subsided but could not identify the attackers. He was approaching from the south, while the gunfire came from the north, and vehicle headlights obstructed his view.

When he reached the cleric, he found him lying on the ground.

He called for assistance and helped lift Mr Masussuka into a vehicle for evacuation to hospital.

Mr Ladan believed the cleric had died before reaching hospital. The police said an attending doctor pronounced Mr Masussuka and Mr Abubakar dead at the hospital.

The studio at Hayin Gada

At Hayin Gada, a neighbourhood where Mr Masussuka grew up and attended school, Mr Sabiu was expecting him that evening.

A longtime student and associate who had worked closely with the cleric for about two decades, Mr Sabiu said he left his companions at approximately 8.20 p.m. to open the studio.

He switched on the air conditioner and prepared for the evening’s activities.

Mr Masussuka was expected between 8.30 and 8.40 p.m., an arrival time that Ahmad Rufa’i, another close associate, said was consistent with the cleric’s usual routine.

Imran Nasarisu, a student, also recalled that the cleric had been preparing to come to the teaching venue.

The studio was in the same neighbourhood as Bani Adam Academy, where Mr Masussuka had studied. His former teacher, Yahaya Bani Adam, still lived nearby.

While Mr Sabiu waited, a student brought news that Mr Masussuka had been shot.

He went first to the cleric’s residence, where people had gathered, before proceeding to the hospital.

At the hospital

Mr Sabiu said he found Mr Masussuka and Mr Abubakar lying motionless when he arrived at the hospital.

Mr Rufa’i, who had also received news of the shooting, went there separately.

He later accompanied Mr Masussuka’s body to Katsina, the state capital. He recalled arriving at approximately 12.30 a.m. and remaining there until around 4 a.m.

An associate familiar with the aftermath also reported that a driver identified as Suleiman and a woman sustained injuries during the incident.

The associate described damage to a Toyota RAV4, including broken glass and apparent bullet impacts.

PREMIUM TIMES could not independently establish the extent of those reported injuries or examine the vehicle. The police’s initial statement did not provide details about additional casualties.

A former pupil, a respected neighbour

When PREMIUM TIMES visited Hayin Gada after the killing, mourners had gathered in the neighbourhood where Mr Masussuka spent part of his early life.

Among those grieving was Mr Bani Adam, his former teacher.

Mr Bani Adam remembered Mr Masussuka as a pupil and spoke of his death in terms of religious acceptance. He said he did not personally suspect anyone of responsibility.

In Karambanin Ɗan Abba, Mr Ladan remembered a man he had known for approximately two decades.

He described the cleric as helpful, compassionate and respectful towards his neighbours.

Mr Ladan said residents were troubled by the shooting, particularly because it occurred within their own neighbourhood.

According to Mr Ladan, Mr Abubakar was said to be from a place called Nasarawa and to have studied with the cleric. But the neighbour acknowledged he did not know Mr Abubakar well and could not personally confirm those details.

For the cleric’s students, the killing interrupted work they had expected him to continue.

Mr Sabiu said Mr Masussuka had completed a Qur’anic commentary known as Tafsir al-Quran bil-Quran and was planning a gathering involving people from different religious backgrounds.

Mr Rufa’i also recalled his ambition to establish a university.

Ansaru’s claim, police investigation

Following the killing, the extremist group Ansaru claimed responsibility for the attack, as previously reported by PREMIUM TIMES.

The claim has not been independently authenticated, and the police have not publicly confirmed the identity of the attackers.

In a statement issued after the shooting, police spokesperson Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu said the Commissioner of Police, Ali Fage, had ordered tactical and operational teams to investigate the killings and pursue those responsible.

President Bola Tinubu also condemned the killings and directed a thorough investigation.

At the time of this report, PREMIUM TIMES had not independently confirmed any arrest in connection with the attack.

At the Hayin Gada studio, Abdulrahim Sabiu had opened the premises and switched on the air conditioner ahead of Sheikh Masussuka’s expected arrival.

The teacher never came.

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