Seven Muslim scholars killed in northern Nigeria
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Kassataya
Muslim cleric Yahaya Masusuka was killed by gunmen in Katsina, northern Nigeria, on 26 October 2026. His murder is part of a series of killings targeting prominent Islamic scholars in the region, according to BBC Afrique.
Sheikh Yahaya Masusuka, a prominent Muslim cleric from Katsina State, was killed by gunmen on 26 October, bringing to seven the number of prominent religious figures murdered in northern Nigeria over the years, reports BBC Afrique. Attackers on motorcycles opened fire outside the gate of his home as he was going to his place of study. He was taken to hospital, where he died of his injuries.
Sheikh Yahaya Masusuka had preached for more than 30 years and had studied, among other places, at Al-Azhar University in Egypt. His doctrine, based on exclusive respect for the Quran and rejection of the hadiths, had drawn criticism from other scholars as well as summonses from security forces. Other clerics cited include Sheikh Albani Zariya, who was killed with his wife and son in Zaria in February 2014, and Sheikh Goni Tijjani, who was assassinated in Maiduguri on 9 May 2011 after opposing Boko Haram.
The murder of Sheikh Yahaya Masusuka comes after the Nigerian president ordered the arrest of a preacher’s killers on 27 October. President Bola Tinubu had also ordered an investigation into the killing of a preacher in Katsina on the same day.
