Malam Aliyu Muhammadu Tukur, an Islamic cleric, has described how he was attacked inside a mosque in the Akko Local Government Area of Gombe State by suspected political thugs.
Malam Tukur told Daily Trust that two weeks ago, he was performing Tafsir inside a mosque near his home when the thugs broke in and beat him for allegedly discussing about the upcoming general elections in 2023.
The 42-year-old scholar, who teaches and preaches in Kumo town, said he was lucky the assailants didn’t succeed in killing him but severely hurt him.
He said that his “offense” was a speech he gave at the end of the Ramadan Tafsir at his mosque, in which he urged his students and other followers to vote for people who had a beneficial impact on their lives.
“I commented on the upcoming elections during the end of Ramadan Tafsir at the mosque, where I stated that my pupils and other followers will only vote for politicians who have been able and eager to achieve the desired development of our communities,” he explained.
“We resumed the Tafsir we were doing before Ramadan after Sallah. So, about 8 p.m. on May 11, just a few minutes after the Tafsir session began, we heard voices inquiring where I was seated.
“Thugs, around five in total, broke into the mosque and poured petrol on me before we could realize what was going on.” One of them tossed a device that exploded, causing a fire that burned parts of my hands, my seat, copies of the Qur’an, and the mosque carpet, as well as injuring some of my students.”
According to the father of five, he recognized some of the attackers as inhabitants of his neighborhood and supporters of one of the legislative candidates, but he claims he has no beef with them and has no idea why he was singled out.
While urging the state administration to address the issue of youth unrest in the state, he also stated that youths and others who were causing difficulties and inflicting agony on innocent residents should not go unpunished.
ASP Mahid Muazu Abubakar, a spokesperson for the State Police Command, confirmed the event and stated two individuals had been apprehended in connection with it.
