A controversial Islamic cleric has been killed outside his home in Katsina state, in northern Nigeria. Sources said two assailants arrived on a motorcycle and shot Yahaya Masussuka in the town of Dutsin-Ma on Monday evening, as he was bidding farewell to visitors.
The 47-year-old preacher and one of his guests, who was also hit by gunfire, were taken to hospital. The attending doctor pronounced both of them dead, police said.
Death threats and disputed teachings
It is not clear why Masussuka was targeted. He had received death threats on social media, where he posted videos rejecting some elements of mainstream Islamic teaching, including beliefs about what happens to people after death.
He drew heavily on the Quran as the basis for his preaching. He also questioned some hadiths, the collected reports of the words and actions attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, and did not accept the belief that the dead are brought back to be questioned. He was once jailed for nine months after he mocked respected scholars who held to that hadith and other teachings.
Family, education and interfaith advocacy
Masussuka had two wives and seven children. He began preaching at the age of 13 in Quranic schools, later studied at Al-Azhar University in Egypt, and then went to Oman for further studies. At his home he kept a studio where he recorded videos of his teachings for his followers to watch on social media.
He was also outspoken against violent extremism and radicalisation. He openly supported interfaith dialogue and peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians, who make up nearly equal parts of Nigeria’s population. For this work, Nigeria’s Network for Good Governance and Transparency honoured him with a Peace Ambassador Award last year.
Killings of preachers in northern Nigeria
Thousands of Christians and Muslims have been killed in ethnic and religious violence in Nigeria over the past 25 years. Masussuka’s death adds to a series of attacks on clerics.
Six other prominent Muslim preachers have been murdered in northern Nigeria over the last two decades. Several of them were targeted by Boko Haram after they criticised the jihadist group, which began its insurgency in 2009.
