Sokoto's Friday prayers end in a stabbing, a lynching and a police assurance that all is under control

In Sokoto on Friday, the congregation had barely finished praying for peace when events took a less peaceful turn. A man whose identity remains unknown stabbed Sheik Musa Lukuwa, a prominent Islamic cleric who has spent recent months at the centre of a storm over alleged blasphemy.

Lukuwa had just led the Friday prayers when the knife came out. He survived. His attacker did not: a mob killed him on the spot, sparing the courts any tedious paperwork.

A cleric in the crosshairs

The cleric had been accused of blaspheming against the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), an accusation that had angered a section of the Muslim faithful in the state.

Among those most visibly offended was Dahiru Maibarewa, a Sokoto-based gangster of some notoriety, who publicly vowed to kill Lukuwa over the controversial utterances involving the Holy Prophet (PBUH). When Maibarewa was arrested, the streets of the Sokoto metropolis filled with demonstrators, apparently protesting in defence of his vow.

Meanwhile, a coalition of Islamic groups took the paper route, petitioning the Sokoto State Government to sanction Lukuwa over alleged remarks said to be capable of instigating violence.

Calls for calm, delivered in advance

On Sept. 4, cleric Sheikh Abubakar Yagawal held a press conference urging Muslims to reject any cleric spreading blasphemous content, all in the name of peaceful coexistence across the country.

Yagawal, who leads the National Sufi Council of Nigeria and serves as National Commissioner in the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), branded Lukuwa's utterances unbecoming and capable of instigating violence.

He explained that the coalition had asked the Federal and State Governments, along with the security agencies, to investigate the remarks, and that the groups were working together to secure justice in the matter for the sake of safety and peaceful coexistence.

Blasphemy against the Prophet, he warned, brings calamity and chaos upon society. Friday's events in Sokoto suggest chaos needed little encouragement.

The police account

The Sokoto Police Command confirmed the incident through its spokesperson, ASP Rufa'i Ahmad.

According to Ahmad, the attacker stabbed Lukuwa in the stomach immediately after Friday prayers and was then killed in mob action.

Lukuwa, who had led the Friday congregation, is being treated at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH). The body of the deceased has been evacuated.

The PPRO added that nobody has been arrested in connection with the incident, while assuring the public that the situation is under control, a reassurance that manages to cover both a stabbing and a lynching in a single sentence.

Finally, the spokesperson appealed to residents to stay calm and respect the law.