An Upper Sharia Court in Kano has sentenced 38-year-old Shafi’u Abubakar to death by hanging and 150 strokes of the cane following his conviction for manslaughter and other charges related to a deadly mosque arson in May 2024.

Abubakar had set a mosque ablaze during early morning prayers in Gezawa Local Council, leading to the deaths of 23 worshippers. He was arrested and charged with culpable homicide, attempted murder, causing grievous hurt, and mischief by fire.

Delivering the judgement yesterday, Sharia Khadi Halhalatu Khuza’i-Zakariyya found the defendant guilty on all counts. The court admitted the testimonies of two out of the seven prosecution witnesses, dismissing the others as “mere stories.”

The court relied on the testimony of the fourth witness, Ibrahim Salisu, who recounted how the defendant set the mosque on fire and fled the scene. The testimony of the seventh witness, Abdullahi Sa’idu, a police officer, was also accepted, as it included Abubakar’s confessional statement, where he pleaded guilty.

“The burns on the defendant’s hand also indicate he committed the offence, thereby finding the defendant guilty on all four counts,” the judge ruled.

Abubakar was also ordered to pay a fine of N1,500 for causing grievous hurt and to receive 150 strokes of the cane for mischief by fire. Additionally, the judge instructed the state government to confiscate and sell the defendant’s tricycle to fund the repair of the burnt mosque.

The prosecution, led by Salisu Tahir, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) at the Kano State Ministry of Justice, stated that the offence occurred on May 15, 2024, in Gadan Larabar Abasawa Village, Gezawa Local Council.

Tahir said Abubakar poured petrol and ignited the fire while 23 victims were praying between 5:05 a.m. and 5:20 a.m., adding that the victims were rushed to Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital in Kano, where they succumbed to their injuries.

The defence counsel, Hasiya Muhammad-Imam, pleaded for leniency and requested that Abubakar be transferred to the Maximum Security Custodial Centre in Janguza.