Our heartfelt condolences go to the immediate families of those killed at the mosque while praying fajr (morning) prayer, to the entire community of Unguwan Mantau in the Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State, and to the people of Katsina State. The incident occurred yesterday, Tuesday.
As reported by Aljazeera and among others, at least 27 worshippers have been killed, and several were wounded when armed bandits stormed a mosque in Malunfashi, Katsina state during morning prayer, a village head and hospital officials stated.
These people were killed while praying the most difficult congregation prayer to the hypocrites. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) says: No prayer is heavier upon the hypocrites than the Fajr (morning) and the `Isha (late evening) prayer and if they knew what is in them in reward, they would have attended them, even if (it was) crawling… (Bukhari reported it, hadith number 657).
The reason why Fajr (morning) prayer is mentioned here is because of the hardship that it entails, and performing it on time and congregationally is a sign of a man’s sincerity and faith. Those who kill innocent people, irrespective of their religion or tribe betray the essence of humanity on earth.
We urge the relevant security agencies to ensure the arrest of the criminals and bring an end to this inhumanity and criminality of the highest order. The killers of defenceless people are heartless, malevolent, and worse than animals.
Security agencies may wish to use geospatial analysis using location data from phones, which could help track the phones in the environment at the time the crime was committed. This can be done using cell tower data and GPS data, as I have been recommending for 6 years, privately and otherwise.
May Allah accept the departed ones as martyrs, give their families and relatives the fortitude to bear the loss, humiliate the criminals, and establish absolute peace in Nigeria. May Nigeria and Nigerians live in peace and stability.
Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, CON
(Majidadin Daular Usmaniyya)
Co-Chairman of the African Union’s 4th Industrial Revolution Policy Council (ASRIC).
