By Isiaka Mustapha, Editor-in-Chief, People’s Security Monitor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The killing of Katsina based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Yahaya Ibrahim Masussuka, has sparked widespread grief and renewed concerns over insecurity and religious intolerance in Northern Nigeria. The 47 year old preacher was shot dead alongside his associate, Adamu Abubakar, on Monday evening in front of his residence in Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State. His wife, Hajiya Fatima, said he had left home for his preaching studio shortly after returning from the Maghrib prayer when she heard about four gunshots. She later received the news that he had been killed. Ansaru, an extremist group, reportedly claimed responsibility in an audio recording circulated a day after the attack. However, Masussuka’s family questioned the authenticity of the recording, making an independent investigation necessary to establish the actual perpetrators and their motives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Masussuka was associated with the Qur’aniyyun movement, also known as Quranists, whose followers regard the Qur’an as the primary or sole authoritative source of religious guidance and reject the binding authority of Hadith as traditionally understood by mainstream Islamic scholars. Hadith refers to recorded accounts of Prophet Muhammad’s sayings and actions. Masussuka reportedly began preaching at 13 and became prominent through social media. His rejection of certain Hadith traditions generated disagreements with established Islamic scholars, who considered his teachings inconsistent with mainstream Islamic beliefs. On 18 November 2025, the Katsina State Government announced plans for him to defend his teachings before a committee of Islamic scholars, but the proposed meeting never took place. Associates also claimed that he had received threats over his preaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Born in Yauyau village in Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State, Masussuka pursued Islamic education in Katsina and Bauchi States. He attended the Arabic Teachers College in Katsina before continuing his studies at Malam Zakariya Qur’anic School, where he reportedly spent seven years. He also dealt in traditional medicines to support his family. His former teacher’s son, Malam Ismail Zakariya, recalled that he was arrested in 2000 over suspected links with extremist groups but was subsequently released unconditionally after his teacher intervened. The allegation was never established. His former teacher, Sheikh Yahaya Bani Adam, described him as a committed scholar who promoted peace and education, adding that he established two schools in Dutsin-Ma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His deputy, Muhammadu Sabi’u, who spent more than 25 years under him, recalled his contributions to religious education and assistance to disadvantaged people. His wife said their final conversation centred on the oneness of Allah and the Day of Judgement before he left home and was ambushed. Governor Dikko Umaru Radda condemned the assassination and directed security agencies to investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice. The African Democratic Congress governorship candidate, Senator Babba Kaita, also condoled with the family while criticising the state government’s handling of insecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thousands of mourners attended his funeral prayer at the Katsina Central Mosque before his remains were buried at the Abattoir Cemetery. The mourners reportedly included followers from Nigeria and neighbouring countries such as Niger Republic, Chad, Cameroon, Ghana and Burkina Faso. His killing has also recalled the previous assassinations of prominent Islamic clerics, including Sheikh Umaru Dan Me Shiyya, Sheikh Ja’afar Mahmud Adam and Sheikh Auwal Albani Zaria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before his death, Masussuka had been promoting interfaith harmony through visits to Christian leaders and was preparing to organise a peace gathering scheduled for 31 October 2026. His associate, Imam Rasheed, said the event would proceed as planned. In a video announcing the initiative, the cleric explained that he wanted to revive peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians, stressing compassion, mercy and mutual respect. He also said the gathering would be organised without government or foreign financial assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The assassination raises serious questions about religious freedom, intolerance and the protection of lives in Northern Nigeria. While religious teachings can be challenged through scholarship and debate, disagreement over theology cannot justify murder. Security agencies must establish whether Ansaru was responsible, identify the gunmen and their sponsors, investigate the reported threats against the cleric and ensure that everyone involved is prosecuted. No society can achieve lasting peace by allowing violence to silence opposing views.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Isiaka Mustapha, Editor-in-Chief, People’s Security Monitor The killing of Katsina based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Yahaya Ibrahim Masussuka, has sparked widespread grief and renewed concerns over insecurity and religious intolerance…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":31264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pages"],"yoast_head":"\n