Fear grips Zamfara community as Protection Guards murder prominent Cleric

From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

People of Mada district under Gusau local government area of Zamfara State have been thrown into apprehension following alleged extra judicial killing of a prominent Islamic Scholar who served as Chief Imam, Malam Hassan Mada, allegedly by members of Community Protection Guards (CPG) on Tuesday.
A resident of Mada who is simply identified as Malam Isa Mada, narrated that the Chief Imam, Malam Hassan Mada had on Tuesday performed ablution to wait for prayer time around 3:30pm, just then members of the CPG emerged in team and forcefully whisked him away down to nearby bush where they slaughtered him to death.
The narration further revealed that, there was misunderstanding between the slain Chief Imam and one of the CPG leaders in Mada over an arrest of some Okada riders who returned from Ibadan, the state capital of Oyo State.
“On their return from Ibadan a year ago, the embattled CPG member had facilitated their arrest in the name of bandits upon which they were detained at the CID department at the Zamfara State Police Command Gusau with the intervention of the late murdered Chief Imam and the district head of Mada.
“The parents of the arrested Okada riders from the village under the Mada district, had contacted the late Chief Imam and the district head with a view to secure the exoneration and immediate release of their returning children, during which they insisted on the decision of taking the arrested Okada riders to Police headquarters, Gusau for investigation.
“At the end, the Okada riders were exonerated and immediately released as directed by the then Commissioner of Police. Since then, the embattled CPG member dared the Commissioner of Police directive by standing firm on the decision to kill the exonerated suspects.
Another resident, Malam Ahmad Mada, said the entire Mada town has been thrown into fear following the unexpected brutal murder of the prominent Islamic Scholar by the armed CPG members who allegedly vow to kill as many innocent and highly esteemed personalities as possible in the name of engaging in an alleged romance with bandits.
The late Chief Imam, Sheikh Hassan Mada, who was the Chief preacher at the Friday weekly preaching ground last week in Gusau, Zamfara State capital, was buried according to Islamic rites with thousands of his followers and concerned muslims from within and outside the state in Mada town.
Meanwhile, in a swift reaction by the State Government through the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Governor, Suleiman Bala Idris, disputed that the culprits were not members of the CPG but rather members of the Vigilante group, adding that, at least ten suspected members of the said Vigilante Group were arrested over the unfortunate killing of an Islamic Scholar in the state.
The statement further explained that, “Late Sheikh Abubakar Hassan Mada was extra judicially murdered by a suspected group of Vigilantes in Mada town, Gusau local government, on Tuesday.