Court Fixes Date For Hearing Of Case Against Man Allegedly Behind Kano Mosque Fire

The Upper Shari’a Court in Kano has fixed July 4, to hear the case against a resident of Gezawa Local Government Area in Kano, Shafi’u Abubakar, who was accused of setting a mosque on fire, leading to the death of 14 persons.

He is facing charges of mischief by fire, causing grievous hurt, and culpable homicide, which are in violation of sections 336, 247, and 221 of the Kano State Shari’a Penal Code Law.

During the court session, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) at the Kano State Ministry of Justice, Salisu Tahir, informed the court that he had received a copy of the case diary from the police.

“The death toll has risen from 14 to 19. We seek for another date to enable us to file a new charge to add the exact number of victims and present our witnesses before the court,” Tahir said.

Abubakar was alleged to be responsible for setting fire to a mosque in Larabar Abasawa village of Gezawa local government area of Kano State and locking the doors, trapping worshippers in a burning fire on May 15.

The accused pleaded guilty to all three charges.

Auwal Abubakar, from the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, declared his representation for the defence following the court’s directive on May 20 to provide a lawyer for the accused.

The presiding judge, Malam Halhalatu Zakariyya, instructed the prosecution to provide all necessary resources related to the case to the defence.

Zakariyya ordered the accused to be held in a correctional facility and postponed the proceedings until July 4 for further examination.