Slain Katsina Cleric: Hospital Confirms No Autopsy as Associate Explains Delayed Burial

The Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, confirmed that Sheikh Yahaya Masussuka’s remains had been embalmed but not subjected to a post-mortem examination as of Thursday.

The Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, confirmed on Thursday that no post-mortem examination had been conducted on the remains of Islamic cleric Sheikh Yahaya Masussuka, who was killed alongside a companion by gunmen in Dutsin-Ma three days earlier.

The remains had been embalmed and were still in the mortuary ahead of a funeral scheduled for Friday, 30 October.

Suleiman Abubakar, a longtime associate who witnessed the attack, described the shooting and the consultations among family members and elders that delayed the burial while investigations continued.

At the hospital

Yahaya Yahuza, the mortician in charge of the hospital’s mortuary unit, told PREMIUM TIMES during a visit on Thursday that Mr Masussuka’s remains arrived at approximately 2:20 a.m. on Tuesday.

He said the body was brought by relatives and that the cleric was already dead on arrival.

“No post-mortem was performed on him. Only embalming was done,” Mr Yahuza said.

He confirmed that the remains were still at the facility on Thursday and that relatives had informed hospital officials of plans to collect them on Friday morning.

Asked why the burial had been delayed, Mr Yahuza said he did not know.

“I don’t have information on that because his relatives are the ones who know the reason why they kept him up to this point,” he said.

He also confirmed seeing wounds on the body but declined to determine their cause without medical examination.

“There are wounds on his body. But the doctors are the ones to confirm what actually happened to him,” he said.

Eyewitness recounts attack

Suleiman Abubakar, a longtime associate of Sheikh Masussuka, also spoke to PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday at the hospital’s mortuary, where he was accompanied by the slain cleric’s secretary.

Mr Abubakar said he had known Mr Masussuka for about 25 years as a pupil, friend and regular driver.

On Monday evening, he accompanied Mr Masussuka to offer condolences following the death of the cleric’s father-in-law.

After returning and observing prayers, Mr Abubakar went home, promising to return at 8:30 p.m. to drive the cleric to a studio where they regularly conducted programmes.

“When I returned at 8:30 p.m., he heard my voice and asked, ‘Is Al-Sistani back?’ I said, ‘Yes, it’s me,’” he recalled.

The cleric then asked for the vehicle keys, following their usual routine.

Four people were preparing for the journey: Mr Abubakar, a visitor from Katsina who was already with him in the vehicle, the cleric and Adamu Abubakar, a visitor from Nasarawa State.

Mr Abubakar drove the vehicle out of the compound and parked at his usual spot. The cleric and Adamu then approached the vehicle.

“I pressed the button to unlock the car so he could open the door and enter. Suddenly, I heard gunfire,” he said.

“Gunfire was coming from different directions. The shooting went on, then stopped. After a while, it started again.”

When the shooting briefly subsided, Mr Abubakar ducked, got out of the vehicle and crawled into an unfinished building adjoining the residence, where he remained for about two minutes.

“Then I heard people crying — women, children and adults — saying, ‘Mallam has been shot! Mallam has been shot!’”

When he emerged, a crowd had gathered outside the residence.

“I went to look and saw him lying in a pool of blood,” he said.

Mr Abubakar and a neighbour, Malam Ali, lifted the cleric into the vehicle and drove towards the General Hospital in Dutsin-Ma.

They stopped briefly outside the residence of the cleric’s secretary, whose home was along the route, and asked him to join them without immediately explaining what had happened.

At the hospital’s emergency department, the men transferred the cleric onto a hospital bed.

“Honestly, we could not see any sign that he was still alive. But since we are not medical professionals, the doctors told us to wait while they examined him,” Mr Abubakar said.

After a short while, medical personnel returned with the news.

“They came out and told us, ‘You have to take heart. Mallam’s time has come,’” he recalled.

The General Hospital subsequently provided an ambulance to convey the remains to Katsina, while a police area commander arranged an escort, Mr Abubakar said.

His account places his return to the residence at about 8:30 p.m., shortly before the shooting. The Katsina State Police Command’s initial account placed the attack at about 7:30 p.m.

The difference in timing remains unresolved.

Why the burial was delayed

Mr Abubakar said family members and elders decided against an immediate burial while consultations continued and the authorities investigated the killing.

“There is a reason, because we have elders ahead of us. The government is also aware of what happened, so we had to wait and hear what would be done,” he said.

He said security personnel visited the residence and recovered spent ammunition casings near its entrance.

“Since the authorities sent personnel who recovered ammunition casings at the entrance to the house, and investigations are ongoing, we could not rush things,” he said.

PREMIUM TIMES has not independently confirmed the reported recovery with the police.

Mr Abubakar said further consultations produced an agreement to hold the funeral on Friday at approximately 2:30 p.m.

Funeral arrangements

The funeral prayer was scheduled to take place at Kofar Soro, near the Emir of Katsina’s palace, after Friday prayers.

A video announcement by the cleric’s associates on Thursday also confirmed the planned funeral in Katsina rather than Dutsin-Ma, where the attack occurred.

Mr Abubakar rejected suggestions that the choice of Katsina was prompted by fears of further violence.

“He had a home in Dutsin-Ma and another here in Katsina. In fact, his main home was in Katsina,” he said.

“His family members are here. It is not because of fear.”

He also ruled out retaliation by the cleric’s associates.

“We have left this matter to God. We are not the kind of people who would seek revenge because something like this has happened,” he said.

The attack also killed Adamu Abubakar, whom Mr Suleiman described as a friend of the cleric and a Friday mosque imam who lived in Lafia, Nasarawa State.

He said Adamu Abubakar was originally from Bauchi State and had known Mr Masussuka since childhood. He was buried on Wednesday following discussions between his relatives and the cleric’s associates.

Earlier threats and investigation

Mr Abubakar said Mr Masussuka had received threats before his killing and that associates reported such statements to the authorities when they became aware of them.

“Whenever we hear any statement that poses a threat, we go and inform the authorities. We don’t remain silent,” he said.

He did not provide dates or documentary records of the complaints and declined to accuse any individual or organisation of carrying out the killing.

“We don’t suspect anyone,” he said. “Even if someone says they will do something, that does not mean they actually did it.”

The armed group Ansaru claimed responsibility for the attack in a video previously reported by PREMIUM TIMES. The claim has not been independently verified as proof of the group’s involvement.

The Katsina State Police Command said two gunmen riding a motorcycle attacked the cleric and his companion outside the residence on Monday evening. Commissioner of Police Ali Fage ordered the deployment of personnel to identify and apprehend the attackers.

President Bola Tinubu condemned the killings and directed security agencies to intensify their investigation.

The cleric’s former teacher, Yahaya Adam, had earlier appealed to followers to remain peaceful and refrain from retaliation, as PREMIUM TIMES reported in its account of the cleric’s final evening.

The police have not publicly clarified whether an autopsy was requested or what action, if any, was taken on the threats described by Mr Abubakar.