Nigerian police said in a statement that they have arrested a suspect who set fire to a mosque filled with worshipers on Wednesday morning in Nigeria's northern Kano state.
The affected area was cordoned off, and the 24 victims, comprising twenty male adults and four male children, were promptly evacuated to a hospital in Kano state for medical treatment, the police said.
Preliminary forensic analysis suggests a suspected petrol explosion, with a comprehensive investigation currently underway to ascertain the full details of the incident, according to the authorities.
The principal suspect, identified as Shafi’u Abubakar, aged 38, confessed that his actions were motivated by longstanding familial disputes over the inheritance, alleging that individuals he believed cheated him were present in the mosque at the time of the explosion. He stated that he intended to make his grievances heard through the act.
A local resident later told the media that 11 people had died of burns and that funerals had already been held for eight of them, while the bodies of the remaining three were being prepared for burial on Thursday.
Among those buried were uncles of the arsonist, locals said.
Locals added that Abubakar was even sent to a psychiatric hospital when he attacked his relatives, but was given a clean bill of health.