Ansaru Militants Claim Responsibility for Killing Muslim Cleric Who Preached Peace with Christians in Nigeria
Sheikh Yahaya Masussuka and his friend Adamu Abubakar were shot dead outside his residence in Katsina state after challenging extremist hostility.
Two gunmen riding a motorcycle shot and killed Muslim cleric Sheikh Yahaya Ibrahim Masussuka and his friend Adamu Abubakar on Monday evening, Oct. 26, in Dutsin-Ma Local Government Area of Katsina state, Nigeria. The attack occurred outside the cleric’s home. The following day, the jihadist group Ansaru claimed responsibility for the murders in an audio message, labeling the cleric an infidel for encouraging peaceful coexistence with Christians.
Katsina State Police confirmed the killings, and Nigerian officials publicly condemned the attack. Masussuka had built a social media audience by sharing Islamic teachings in Hausa, a widely spoken language across northern Nigeria. In his broadcasts, he urged Muslims to stop calling Christians infidels and called on adherents of both faiths to live together without violence.
How did the cleric promote peace between faiths?
Masussuka’s public message offered resistance to religious hostility from within the Muslim community at a time when Christian villages regularly face violent raids from armed groups. By directly challenging the practice of labeling Christians as infidels, the cleric drew intense opposition from radicals. In their recorded message, Ansaru militants explicitly accused Masussuka of opposing Islam to justify his execution.
