A Muslim cleric who urged Muslims to stop calling Christians “infidels” has been shot dead in northern Nigeria. The jihadist group Ansaru says it is responsible.
Sheikh Yahaya Ibrahim Masussuka and his friend Adamu Abubakar were killed on the evening of 26 October outside the cleric’s home in Dutsin-Ma, in Katsina state. Police say two gunmen on a motorbike opened fire and fled.
Masussuka shared Islamic teaching on social media in Hausa, the main language of northern Nigeria. In some videos he urged Muslims to stop describing Christians as infidels, and called on followers of both faiths to live together peacefully.
The next day, Ansaru called him an infidel who opposed Islam. The militant group broke away from Boko Haram around 2012 and has links to al-Qaida in North Africa. It is known for kidnappings, hostage killings and attacks on security forces, and the US designated it a terrorist organisation in 2013.
The killing comes as Christians in parts of Nigeria continue to face deadly attacks. Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, another jihadist group, have attacked churches and Christian communities and have also killed Muslims they regard as opponents.
President Bola Tinubu condemned the killings and ordered security agencies to track down the killers. Katsina police have opened an investigation though no arrests have been made.