Gusau, Zamfara state – Amnesty International on Saturday, May 3, condemned the killing of a well-known Islamic scholar, Sheikh Mustapha Aliyu Unguwar Mai Kawo.
Legit.ng reports that armed men, known locally as bandits, killed Sheikh Aliyu after holding him hostage for nearly three weeks.
‘Killers of Katsina Islamic cleric must face justice’ – Amnesty
The tragic incident has plunged the Unguwar Mai Kawo community into mourning.
The slain preacher was abducted by bandits from his hometown, Unguwar Mai Kawo—a community long plagued by persistent bandit attacks.
Reacting to the killing, Amnesty International, the global human rights body, posted a picture of the late cleric and expressed profound sadness.
The group said via its official X (formerly known as Twitter) page:
“The Nigerian authorities must ensure that the suspected killers of Islamic scholar, Sheikh Mustapha Aliyu Unguwar Mai Kawo village Kankara local government area of Katsina state face justice. He was killed after about two weeks in the custody of bandits.
“Gunmen and other armed groups continue to carry out daily atrocities across Katsina state, razing villages, sexually assaulting women and girls with utter impunity. Apart from killings, the bandits also establish full control of villages by operating ruthless rules and collecting levies.
“Incessant killings and the stunning failure of the authorities to end them and bring suspected perpetrators to justice have been and continue to be a threat to the right to life in many parts of northern Nigeria.”
Protracted banditry challenge in Nigeria
Legit.ng reports that Katsina is one of several states in northwestern and central Nigeria plagued by bandits who raid villages, killing and abducting residents as well as burning and looting homes.
The gangs, who maintain camps in a huge forest straddling Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina, and Niger states, have earned notoriety for mass kidnappings of helpless citizens in recent years.
Amnesty reacts to killing of Zamfara Chief Imam
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Amnesty International strongly condemned the “gruesome killing” of the Chief Imam of Maru Jumma’a Mosque Zamfara state, Sheikh Alkali Salihu Suleiman.
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The outlaws killed Sheikh Suleiman, along with his three children—despite receiving N11 million of the N20m ransom they had demanded.
Amnesty International said the almost-daily deadly attacks “clearly show that President Bola Tinubu and his government have no effective plan for ending years of atrocities”.