The family of late Islamic cleric Sheikh Yahaya Ibrahim Masussuka has rejected claims by the Ansaru militant group that it was responsible for his killing in Katsina State, insisting that individuals who had previously threatened the preacher remains their prime suspects.
Abdurrashid Abdulkarim, successor to the late Sheikh Yahaya Ibrahim Masussuka, spoke on behalf of the family in a video shared on the deceased cleric’s social media page.
Seated on the same chair on which Sheikh Masussuka regularly occupied, Abdulkarim rejected Ansaru’s claim of responsibility for the killing and questioned the authenticity of the statement attributed to the group.
“We reject the claim that Ansaru was responsible for the killing of Sheikh Masussuka. There are people who threatened him before his death, and we still suspect them,” Abdurrashid said.
He also challenged security expert, Dr Audu Bulama Bukarti, who publicised the alleged audio message in which Ansaru claimed responsibility for the killing, to explain how he obtained the recording.
“We challenge Dr Audu Bulama Bukarti to explain where he got the audio message and how it came into his possession,” he said.
Abdurrashid further alleged that the message attributed to Ansaru contained inconsistencies, including an error in the date of the incident.
“There are discrepancies in the statement circulated by Bukarti. The person speaking on behalf of Ansaru claimed that the incident happened on Tuesday, whereas the killing took place on Monday,” he said.
The family maintained that the alleged claim of responsibility should not distract investigators from examining the threats reportedly made against the cleric before his death.
“We are calling on Dr Audu Bulama Bukarti to withdraw from this matter and allow security agencies to do their work,” Abdurrashid said.
He urged the relevant authorities to investigate the killing thoroughly and establish the identities of those responsible.
Sheikh Masussuka and his associate, Adamu Abubakar, were reportedly shot dead by gunmen outside the cleric’s residence in Dutsin-Ma Local Government Area of Katsina State on Monday, October 26, 2026.