Sokoto Shuts Mosque After Cleric Stabbing, Names Ulamas Probe Panel

Sokoto Shuts Mosque After Cleric Stabbing

Sokoto Shuts Mosque After Cleric Stabbing, Names Ulamas Probe Panel

The Sokoto State Government has ordered the immediate closure of the Musa Lukuwa Jumu’at Mosque in Mabera, Sokoto metropolis, after a cleric was stabbed during Friday prayers and his attacker was killed by an angry mob.

The mosque, which the government describes as a crime scene, will remain shut until further notice. A committee of Islamic scholars (Ulamas) has also been constituted to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the incident and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence. The announcement was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Director General, Media and Publicity, Government House, Abubakar Bawa.

The crisis began on Friday, September 11, 2026, shortly after Malam Musa Lukuwa led the Jumu’at prayer. A young man among the worshippers attacked the cleric, stabbing him twice in the neck and left hand. Worshippers overpowered the suspect and beat him to death before security operatives could arrive. Police spokesman DSP Ahmad Rufa’i confirmed that the cleric was rushed to the Specialist Hospital in Sokoto, where he was treated and later discharged. Lukuwa subsequently appeared in a video circulated on social media, with a plaster covering part of his neck, appealing for calm and assuring his followers that he was in stable condition. The Commissioner of Police, Hayatu Hassan Shaffa, condemned the mob action as jungle justice and urged residents to allow due process. “It is imperative that we allow the law to take its course to ensure justice is served appropriately,” Shaffa said. Security personnel have been deployed to Mabera and other flashpoints, while investigations into both the stabbing and the mob killing continue. No arrest has been made in connection with the lynching.

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The attack was reportedly linked to a previous sermon in which the cleric cited a Hadith that some scholars, particularly those associated with the Tariqa order, considered offensive to the parents of Prophet Muhammad. Following the controversy, a young man identified as Mai Barewa allegedly threatened to kill Malam Musa Lukuwa and his senior student, Malam Murtala Assada. The cleric and his followers reported the threat to the police, leading to the suspect’s arrest and arraignment. A court later ordered that he be remanded in a correctional facility while the case remained pending. Four days before Friday’s incident, the clerics had also visited the Sokoto State Government House to submit a written complaint. The incident triggered protests and heightened tension around Sahara, Bello Way and Aliyu Jodi, with some businesses closing temporarily as security operatives moved into strategic locations. It came only days after protests erupted over the continued remand of another cleric, Dahiru Mai Barewa, who was accused of threatening Lukuwa and Malam Murtala Bello Assada. Police subsequently arrested about 20 people in connection with that protest.

The government said the committee would examine the circumstances surrounding the tension and make recommendations in the interest of peace and stability in the state. It also ordered a full investigation into the attack and the subsequent killing at the mosque. The state government further dissociated itself from any person, irrespective of status, who hides under the pretext of religion to undermine or disrespect Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), his parents, household and companions. It reaffirmed its “total obedience and respect” for the Prophet, his parents, household and companions, while urging residents to continue to show love and compassion to him. The government appealed to residents to desist from making inciting statements capable of jeopardising the peaceful coexistence for which Sokoto is known. It assured residents of its commitment to protecting the lives and property of every citizen in the state.

Malam Musa Lukuwa is an Islamic cleric from Lukuwa village in Gwadabawa Local Government Area of Sokoto State. He was among the early scholars associated with the Izala movement when it began gaining prominence in Sokoto State. He later became associated with the Salafiyya school of thought and established his own mosque, where he teaches Islamic studies and preaches to his followers. Lukuwa is known for his strict emphasis on adherence to the Qur’an and Hadith. His interpretation of religious practices, particularly issues surrounding the sighting of the crescent moon, has at times differed from the position announced by the Sultan of Sokoto. He maintains that decisions on the commencement and termination of fasting should be based on what he considers credible evidence of the sighting of the crescent, in line with the teachings of the Qur’an and Hadith.