DST News: A controversial Islamic preacher has been shot dead outside his home in Nigeria’s northern state of Katsina.
Two gunmen arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire on Yahaya Masussuka in the town of Dutsin-Ma on Monday evening as he was bidding farewell to visitors, sources told the BBC.
The 47-year-old cleric and one of his guests, who was also wounded in the attack, were taken to hospital but were later pronounced dead by doctors, police said.
The motive behind the killing remains unclear. However, Masussuka had previously received death threats on social media, where he shared videos challenging several mainstream Islamic beliefs, including teachings about what happens to people after death.
According to widely held Islamic beliefs, a person’s soul is questioned in the grave by two angels. Those who answer correctly are allowed to rest peacefully until the Day of Judgement, while those who fail face punishment.
This belief is based on the Hadith, a collection of accounts of the sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad. The Hadith serves as a major source of Islamic guidance and helps Muslims interpret the Quran, Islam’s central religious text.
However, Masussuka primarily based his teachings on the Quran, questioned the authenticity of some Hadiths and rejected the belief that the dead are awakened and questioned in their graves.
He was previously imprisoned for nine months after mocking some prominent Islamic scholars over their acceptance of this Hadith and other religious teachings.
Masussuka, who had two wives and seven children, began preaching at the age of 13 in Quranic schools. He later studied at Al-Azhar University in Egypt before pursuing further studies in Oman.
He maintained a recording studio at his home, where he produced videos of his religious teachings for distribution to his followers on social media.
Beyond his controversial religious views, the cleric was also vocal against violent extremism and radicalisation. He openly promoted interfaith dialogue and peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians, who account for nearly equal portions of Nigeria’s population.
Thousands of people from both religious communities have been killed in ethnic and religious violence across the country over the past 25 years.
In recognition of his peacebuilding efforts, Nigeria’s Network for Good Governance and Transparency awarded Masussuka a Peace Ambassador Award last year.
His killing adds to a series of attacks on prominent Muslim preachers in northern Nigeria. Six other well-known Islamic clerics have been murdered in the region over the past two decades, several of whom were targeted by Boko Haram for criticising the militant group.
Founded in northeastern Nigeria, Boko Haram opposes Western culture, education and secular governance. The group launched an insurgency in 2009 with the aim of establishing an Islamic state.
Source: BBC
