Gunmen killed Islamic Cleric, Wife, Son in Kaduna

GUNMEN continued their orgy of blood-letting in Kaduna State at the weekend with the murder of a renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Mohammed Auwal Albany, his wife and son, Abdallah, in Zaria.

  The incident that occurred on Saturday night threw the entire community into panic, as people scrambled for safety. The dead were buried in Zaria Sunday morning according to Islamic rites.
  Reacting to the incident, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, condemned the assassination of Sheikh Albany and two members of his family, describing the killing as dastardly, despicable and barbaric.


  In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, Tambuwal said the news came to him as a shock, as the deceased was a fearless scholar who went about his activities without fear or favour.

  While urging the security agencies to fish out those behind the murder, Tambuwal prayed the Almighty God to grant the family the strength to bear the loss.

  Also, the Secretary-General of Jamatul Nasril Islam, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, has condemned the killing of the Islamic scholar and expressed fears that religious clerics were now being targeted and killed as was the case in Kano and Sokoto.

  Aliyu, who spoke in an interview, called on the authorities to strengthen the security network and fish out the killers of innocent souls.

  Meanwhile, it was sober in Zaria yesterday as Muslim clerics from all over the North continued to visit the city to condole with the inhabitants of community on the death of the scholar.

  Albany was on his way home alongside with his wife and son after preaching at his Salafiya Islamic Centre in Zaria when they were reportedly ambushed near Gaskiya area, less than a kilometre to his home. The attack by the unidentified gunmen left four others injured, including two of Albany’s sons, who are currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

  One of his students, Malam Sahabi Musa, told newsmen that the assailants “trailed Albany from his centre where he normally preached, some in a Golf car and others on a motorcycle, and opened fire on him and his family members when they were approaching home around 9.00 p.m.”

  He added: “Malam was reciting the Kalimat Shahada repeatedly before he gave up; we are so happy about that and pray to the Almighty Allah to forgive his sins and reward him with paradise.

  “They opened fire on them and ran away. This is reminiscent of how Sheik Jafar Adam was killed in Kano. The killers trailed him from his school where he had earlier given lectures on Islam.”

  Police and other security agents were seen keeping vigil at strategic parts of the city, but they were yet to come up with a statement on the Albany household.
Source: The Guardian