In the devastating arson that occurred on Wednesday during an early morning prayer in Gaza village near Gezawa in Kano State, eleven people have been confirmed dead.

The perpetrator, 38-year-old Shafiu Abubakar, set fire to a mosque amidst an inheritance dispute, trapping around 40 worshippers inside.

Rabiu Gadan, a resident of the village, disclosed that 11 individuals have tragically succumbed to the burns they suffered.

Of these victims, eight have already been laid to rest, while preparations are underway for the burial of the remaining three, scheduled for Thursday.

Rabiu revealed that the attack was not the first instance of violence involving Shafiu. Previously, he had assaulted two of his older brothers and then voluntarily surrendered himself to the police, claiming responsibility for their deaths.

Another resident, Malam Garba, said, “He has always been troubled, but when he challenged his family to give him his portion of the inheritance, they did.

“He was even taken to a mental institution once when he attacked his relatives but he was given a clean bill of health. So, he was clearly in his right mind when he set the fire, two of his uncles died and we buried them yesterday already.”

According to BIZTELLERS reports, the assailant is currently in police custody, where he has confessed to his actions.

He cited frustration with the way some of the victims handled the inheritance sharing as his motive. Despite warning his family members to stop maltreating him, he claimed his pleas were ignored.

He however expressed no regret for his actions.

Residents confirmed the existence of an inheritance dispute within the family, but the precise nature of the disagreement remained unclear.

At the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital in Kano, where the injured were rushed for treatment, distraught relatives anxiously awaited news about the condition of their loved ones.

Maijida, one of the distressed relatives, shared her heartache, expressing fear over the condition of her father and brothers.

“My father and two brothers are severely injured and I was told some people have died already, what will I do if I lose them, I will be left all alone.” she lamented.

One of the residents that attempted to rescue the victims, Musa Muhammad Gadan said, “I was late going to the prayers, but as I was rushing to the mosque, I heard a blasting noise and then I heard people screaming so I rushed over, the flames had engulfed the building, I and some others tried to rescue them and that is how I sustained burns on my arms.

During a visit to the victims at Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Deputy Inspector General of Police AIG Umar Mamman Sanda, in charge of Zone 1 in Kano, confirmed the devastating loss of eight lives on Wednesday.

He was accompanied by a delegation of security personnel, including the Commissioner of Police in the state and the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS).

He said, “The suspect was said to be not satisfied with the distribution and was reacting to that. He is presently with us and is giving useful information. It is really unfortunate.”

Senator Ali Ndume, the Chief Whip of the Senate, emphasized that corruption in Nigeria is significantly driven by the involvement of individuals.

Ndume pointed out that the corruption seen among politicians is largely influenced by public actions, indicating that harsh penalties might not be necessary.

He acknowledged that while politicians do engage in corrupt activities, they also share part of their ill-gotten wealth with the public.

He said “If you compare us, politicians, to all the corruption, it is very small. Our corruption is people-driven. If you steal it, you will go and share it with the people. If you don’t, you are not coming back for four years. There is no reason for stealing.

“I have been to the National Assembly, I can’t say because we are on TV now and not telling the truth. If the death penalty is supposed to be included in corruption, I will support it but you don’t go and kill someone that stole one million or one billion, no.

“But someone who steals one trillion of government money should be killed. The death penalty is the best deterrent for those being caught for drugs. If you do drugs, you are killing people.

“In fact, that means you have destroyed the lives of so many people and killed so many people

The Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja, delivered a blow to former Minister of Power and Steel, Olu Agunloye, as it dismissed his attempt to contest the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) authority to prosecute him.

Agunloye stands accused of involvement in a multi-billion-dollar fraud linked to the Mambilla Power Project contract, amounting to a staggering $6 billion.

On February 8, 2024, Agunloye had, through his counsel, Adeola Adedipe (SAN), filed a motion challenging the powers of the EFCC to investigate and prosecute him, as well as that of the jurisdiction of the court to try him.

However, the prosecution, represented by counsel Abba Muhammed, swiftly responded with a counter affidavit on February 22, 2024, asserting the motion’s incompetence and its contradiction with Section 115(2) of the Evidence Act.

Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie, delivering the ruling on Wednesday, struck out Agunloye’s motion for lack of merit.

He held that Section 6 and 7 of the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004, grant the Commission investigative and prosecutorial powers to initiate investigations into acts of economic and financial crimes.

The judge ruled “On issues of whether the EFCC has the statutory power to investigate and prosecute before a court of competent jurisdiction, I have considered the application of the defence and the respondent, and I hold that the EFCC is charged with the investigation and prosecution of all economic and financial crimes including, contract scams, money laundering, advance fee fraud etc, including the investigation and enforcement of all economic and financial crimes laws, also cause investigation to weather an individual or company, or anybody is likely to commit any crime.

“Since the instant charges brought against the defendant are economic and financial crimes in nature, the motion brought by the defendant lacks merit and is hereby dismissed.”

In addressing the issue of the prosecution fiat obtained by the Commission from the Office of the Auditor-General rather than the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the judge affirmed that in the absence of the AGF, any other state, authority, or person could validly institute criminal prosecution.

He said “Even if the charge has no seal of the Attorney-General of the Federation, that does not stop the potency of the charge, as the Attorney-General may decide on any member of his department he wishes to delegate his powers to carry out his duties by law.”

The judge scheduled the next hearing for May 30, 2024, to continue the trial.