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Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung has described the killing of Katsina-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ibrahim Yahaya Masussuka as a painful blow to religious tolerance and peace.
Dalung stated this in a statement on Tuesday, hours after the Katsina State Police Command confirmed the cleric’s killing.
The Plateau South senatorial candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC) said he received the news of the gruesome killing of his friend and fellow peace advocate with profound shock and grief.
The police in Katsina had disclosed that Masussuka was murdered by armed criminals in his residence in Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State on Monday evening.
Dalung said, “His death is not merely a personal loss to me; it is a painful blow to the cause of peace, religious tolerance, ideological dialogue, and peaceful coexistence.
“I mourn a brother whose life was associated with religious discourse and the advocacy of peace. It is particularly tragic that a man who engaged with ideas and religious convictions should meet his end through the brutal instrument of violence.”
The ex-minister said bullets may silence a man but cannot kill the truth, adding that the triumph of evil is always temporary when humanity refuses to surrender its conscience to fear.
He condemned the deployment of violence to settle ideological or religious disagreements, saying no religious interpretation can justify the deliberate taking of human life.
“Faith must never become a licence to kill, and religious disagreement must never become a death sentence,” he said.
Dalung noted that the “assassination” of Masussuka raises disturbing questions about the safety of clerics whose reformist views may challenge established doctrines.
He warned that if individuals could be murdered for controversial views, religious freedom and peaceful coexistence were under threat.
Dalung called on security agencies to conduct a thorough, impartial and transparent investigation, identify the perpetrators and their sponsors, and ensure they are brought to justice.
“We must refuse to allow his death to become another unresolved tragedy in our national history,” he said, while condoling the family and followers of the deceased.
Daily Sun earlier reported that the Katsina State Police Command confirmed the incident in a statement on Monday night.
According to its Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, the command said the attack occurred at about 7:30 pm in front of Masussuka’s residence in Dutsin-Ma Local Government Area, when two armed men on a motorcycle opened fire, killing the scholar and his friend, Adamu Abubakar.
Commissioner of Police, CP Ali Umar Fage, has ordered deployment of tactical teams and commenced investigation.
Governor Dikko Umaru Radda also condoled with the family, describing Masussuka as a respected cleric and advocate of peaceful coexistence and interfaith harmony, and assured that a thorough investigation would be conducted.
