Man Killed Three Worshipers
Three worshipers were stabbed to death while waiting for the early morning prayers in a mosque at Kado Bimko, located in the 1st Avenue neighbourhood of Gwarinpa District, Abuja, FCT.
A witness, Muhammad Auwal, who spoke to Abuja Metro during a visit to the community yesterday, said the suspect, identified as Laminde Boka, was rounded up by sympathisers who lynched him..
Auwal, who operates a kiosk around the mosque, said the first victim was an elderly person, popularly known as Alhaji Wanzam, who used to engage in local barbing around the mosque.
He said, “Alhaji Wanzam used to arrive at the mosque as early as 4am from his nearby home to assist in cleaning the mosque and thereafter attend to his customers. He was in the process of the cleaning exercise when he was engaged by the suspect, who stabbed him with a knife.
“The suspect, suspected to be under drug influence, went on to stab the next person that drew courage to confront him. The second victim used to operate a grinding machine in a nearby market, and he died on the way to the hospital.
“Thereafter, the suspect chased other people and was able to reach one of them who fell down. He stabbed the man to death on the spot. Sympathisers resorted to the use of stones and sticks against the suspect which led to his death.
Auwal further said that the remains of the first victim, Alhaji Wanzam, were conveyed to his home town of Gezawa in Kano State ; the remains of the second victim were taken to his home state of Katsina and that of the third victim, who hailed from Gombe State, was taken to the Kubwa General Hospital’s in Abuja as none of his relatives could be located.
The Village Head of Kado Bimko, Malam Ibrahim Isiaku, said following the incident, many people that used to shelter around the mosque, as well as those that went to the mosque to observe their early morning prayers, fled while the affected mosque was closed down.
He further said that following a meeting by officials of the mosque and the leaders of a nearby market, as well as the manager of a filling station adjacent the mosque, it was resolved that henceforth no one would be allowed to sleep on the mosque’s premises. Efforts to speak with the Divisional Police Officer of Gwarimpa were not successful.
However, a senior police officer at the station confirmed the incident.
