Angry Residents Lynch Man After Deadly Stabbing of 3 at Abuja Mosque
- Three worshippers were stabbed to death at a mosque in the Gwarinpa area of Abuja while waiting for early morning prayers
- However, the suspect was overpowered and lynched by angry residents before security operatives could take full control of the situation
- Community leaders shut down the mosque and introduced new measures following the incident, as residents fled the area out of fear and tension
Legit.ng's Muslim Muhammad Yusuf is a 2025 Wole Soyinka Award-winning journalist with over 8 years of experience in investigative reporting, human rights, politics, governance and accountability in Nigeria.
Gwarimpa, Abuja - Tension erupted in the Gwarinpa area of Abuja after angry residents reportedly lynched a man accused of stabbing three worshippers to death at a mosque in the Kado Bimko community.
The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning at a mosque located along 1st Avenue, Gwarinpa District of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while worshippers were waiting for early morning prayers.
Source: Original
A witness, Muhammad Auwal, told Daily Trust that the suspect, identified as Laminde Boka, allegedly attacked worshippers with a knife before being overpowered by residents.
According to Auwal, who runs a kiosk near the mosque, the first victim was an elderly man popularly known as Alhaji Wanzam, a local barber who regularly arrived at the mosque around 4am to help clean the premises before prayers.
“Alhaji Wanzam usually came early from his nearby house to clean the mosque before attending to his customers,” Auwal said. “He was in the process of cleaning when the suspect approached him and stabbed him with a knife.”
Following the attack, residents reportedly mobilised and assaulted the suspect with stones and sticks, leading to his death.
Abuja mosque attack victims identified
Auwal said the attacker, who was suspected to be under the influence of drugs, went on to stab a second worshipper who attempted to intervene. The second victim, a grinder operator at a nearby market, reportedly died while being rushed to the hospital.
He added that the suspect later chased other worshippers and stabbed a third victim who fell while trying to escape, killing him on the spot.
Source: Facebook
Auwal said the remains of Alhaji Wanzam were taken to his hometown in Gezawa, Kano state, for burial. The body of the second victim was conveyed to his home state of Katsina.
He added that the third victim, who was said to be from Gombe state, was taken to Kubwa General Hospital in Abuja, as his relatives could not immediately be located.
Community reacts, mosque shut
Reacting to the incident, the village head of Kado Bimko, Malam Ibrahim Isiaku, said the attack caused panic in the community, forcing many people who usually sleep around the mosque to flee the area.
He confirmed that the mosque was temporarily closed following the incident.
Isiaku said community leaders, mosque officials, nearby market representatives and the manager of a filling station close to the mosque later held a meeting and agreed on new measures to prevent a recurrence.
"It was resolved that no one would be allowed to sleep within the mosque premises anymore,” he said.
Efforts to speak with the Divisional Police Officer of Gwarinpa were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
However, a senior police officer at the station confirmed the incident, noting that investigations were ongoing.
Man burnt to death in Abuja
Legit.ng earlier reported that an alleged case of blasphemy has led to the killing of a man allegedly identified as Small Hundaru in Abuja.
Hundaru was accused of insulting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and was stoned and burnt to death by a mob
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
