A tragedy of monumental proportion was averted in Kano last Friday when a 19-year-old man attempted to kill Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, soon after the Muslim Juma’at prayer at Kano Central mosque located right behind palace of the emir. The teenager, Usman Musa, of Dorayi Quarters in Kano metropolis, was tightly holding a gun-shaped object with which he attempted to commit the heinous act.

Police authorities and Kano Emirate Council confirmed the incident. The police confirmed the arrest of the young man while the emirate council wanted the police to do a thorough job to fish out the real masterminds of the act.

Friday’s incident was the second attempt on the life of the monarch in recent years. A few years ago, a man was reportedly said to have pounced on the emir after a Juma’at prayer in the same mosque. The man, after being beaten up to a pulp by men guarding the emir, was then arrested and taken to Zone 1 of the Police Headquarters in Kano.

Sunday Trust learnt that assailant, who arrived in the mosque as early as 9 am that day, was said to have been sent to the place of worship by a 65-year-old marabout, Alhaji Abubakar Hamidu Batakaye, with a specific instruction to kill the emir. The old man was inside the mosque at the time of the incident.

The essence of his arrival at the mosque earlier, our correspondents report, was to enable the young man to recite 12,000 times one particular name (Ya Qaharu) of the Lord before the start of the congregational prayer to enable him succeed in the assignment. It was also learnt that the man was, in addition, given a small amulet by the old man to conceal inside his mouth, purposely for him to have courage in executing the task and to mysteriously disappear immediately after the assignment.

It is an established tradition that the emir usually sits on the first column in the mosque in such a congregational prayer directly behind the chief imam. The assailant was said to have sat on the third column while the old man sat on the last row inside the ancient mosque, it was gathered.  

A source said no sooner had the Chief Imam of the mosque asked the worshippers to do the usual Muslim supplication, as is the tradition in Kano after every prayer, than the young man became disorganized and nervous. According to the source, he suddenly stood up to publicly announce his mission and, in no time, the men around guarding the emir descended on the teenager.

He was said to have lost the tiny amulet he concealed inside his mouth in the hands of the angry guards. It was learnt that the torture by the guards was said to have compelled him to lead them to where the old man sat. Apart from the pistol-shaped object retrieved from him, three rounds of ammunition were also found on him when the police made a thorough search of his body  

The teenager and the old man were then handed over to the police around who later took them to Kwalli Police Station, which is not far from palace of the emir. They did not stay long at the police station as they were immediately transferred to the police criminal investigation department at headquarters of Kano police command on the orders of state commissioner of police Mohammed J Gana.

Contacted yesterday, police public relations officer for the command, SP Baba Mohammed Azare, confirmed the incident, saying investigation was still on to know the true picture of the case.

In an interview with the man at the police headquarters yesterday, the teenager told Sunday Trust that he was instructed by the 65-year-old marabout to kill the emir. He said he knew the man for more than 10 years now as his mother’s marabout.

When asked why he wanted to kill the emir, he said it was only the old man who can reveal the reasons. But the old man, also interviewed yesterday, denied sending the assailant to kill the emir, saying at his age and knowing the value of leaders he could not have done that. He did not, however, deny knowing the man.

Jarman Kano Professor Isa Hashim, who spoke on behalf of Kano Emirate Council, said the police should do a thorough investigation to fish out the real masterminds of the averted tragedy. He said since the suspect fingered the old man to be the person who asked him to execute the “deadly assignment” it is only fair if the police also asked the old man to tell the real persons behind it.

Professor Hashim also said he was at the police headquarters on Friday where he met with senior police officers and even interviewed the suspects.

Interview with the suspects below:

What is your name?

My name is Usman Musa. I am 19 years old. I attended Kubwa Primary School in the Federal Capital Territory and Government Senior Secondary Stadium, Kano. I am an indigene of Kano State.

Tell us what happened at the mosque on Friday

Malam Abubakar gave me an object and instructed me to strike and kill the emir with it. The object was a gun. But he had asked me to go to the mosque very early and recite Ya Qahharu (a payer meaning Allah is powerful) 12, 000 times for the mission to be successful and gave me an emulate which I concealed in the mouth before launching the attack. The purpose of the amulet was for me to vanish from the scene after the attack. He assured me that the emir would die instantly.

Did you act as directed?

Yes. I arrived in the mosque at 9 am and started the invocation and finished before Juma’at prayer. After concluding the prayer, the Imam asked the congregation to do the usual Muslim supplication. That time, the gun was still in my bag, but immediately they started the supplication, I became disorganized and nervous and was unable to go ahead with the mission. So I stood up and confessed our mission at the mosque.

Is it true that you were once sent to Abuja to execute a similar operation by Mallam Abubakar?

Of course, he sent me to Abuja, but that was for a different mission. Actually, he didn’t send me to go and kill somebody. What happened was that he has two guns, this one with me and a genuine one. The genuine one with the remaining ammunition used to be kept in his house, although they could not be recovered when the house was searched. But the first time he sent me to Abuja was to collect N80, 000, thereafter I went again and collected N3.2m for him.

You said there was a genuine gun in Malam Abubakar’s residence. Do you mean the one you were caught with cannot kill?

No, it cannot.

Why do you want to kill the emir?

I was only sent by Malam Abubakar. So he knows the reason.

How long have you known each other?

For about 10 years.

Did you first meet him at the age of 9?

Yes.  He has been helping my mother spiritually. She would send me on errands to him and he would use the opportunity to give me what he said were protection portions to drink. From then on, I never hid anything from him, including my mother’s secret. A times I would rush to him with a news before even before my mother come to tell him. For instance, my uncle will give her money and before she relates it to him, I make sure I did.

Has he ever preached the hatred of the emir or government or any form of authority to you or others?

Yes he is fond of expressing his criticisms on what is happening in the society, by saying he does approve of them. But as for others, I’m not aware.

Interview with 65-year-old batakaye

Sunday Trust: How old are you?

Alhaji Abubakar Hamidu: I am 65 years old. I reside in Batakaye.

What is your relationship with Usman Musa?

To God who made me, it’s about 7 years now that I had not set my eyes on him, until when he showed up recently. After exchanging usual greeting, I asked him about his family and he said they were all doing well. Then, I advised him to seek the blessing of his parents and preached to him to obey and respect his mother because that is the only way he could succeed in life. I didn’t know that my admonition had angered him. But he did not show me, because when he was leaving my place, he complained of being out of cash. I brought the only money in my pocket, which was a N100 and gave to him.

I never saw him again until last Friday when he linked me with this disaster. I have been attending that particular mosque for more 20 years without a single absence, I have a place reserved for me inside the mosque. I cannot think of attacking a king because our religion teaches us to regard him as the father to all.

Do you mean you did not send him on the aborted mission or give him the fake gun and the invocation?

To God, he was lying, because I was not in any way connected with all the allegations he made. It is not in my habit, and that is why when the police searched my home, none of those items he said were found.

But how come both of you went to the same mosque that day?

As I said earlier, that Friday mosque is where I say my Juma’at prayers for the past 20 years and it is a tradition I inherited from my fathers.  And he knows the exact spot I normally sit inside the mosque. Of course, there was the day I went with him to the mosque and showed him where I used to stay, but he was very young then.

Did you see him in the mosque that day before the incident?

I only noticed his presence when he stood up after prayer and pointed at me, saying: “I want to see that man.”  He led some people to me and I was asked to stand up and go with them. He told the people that arrested us that I gave him the object.

But why do you think he would pick you out and implicate you?

That is what I cannot say. It may be he was sent by somebody or he acted by himself, but I can’t fathom the reason.