The police command in Kano State has confirmed the arrest of the principal suspect behind the early morning mosque explosion in Gadan village in the Gezawa Local Government Area of the state.

The state Commissioner of Police, Usaini Gumel, told journalists in a telephone interview on Wednesday that a 38-year-old man, Shafi’u Abubakar, had been arrested over the incident.

He said that the suspect confessed to attacking the mosque because of a long-standing family dispute over inheritance sharing.

“On May 15, 2024, at about 5:20 a.m., the police received a report of an explosion at a mosque in Gadan Village during the dawn prayer, leaving several people injured.

“Promptly, a team of security personnel, including experts in Explosive Ordnance Disposal Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (EOD-CBRN), were deployed to the scene.

He said, “Twenty-four victims, including 20 males and four children, who sustained various degrees of injuries, were rushed to Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital Kano for treatment.’’

The CP said that preliminary forensic analysis indicated that the explosion was caused by a petrol bomb and that a detailed investigation was ongoing.

He said the police were continuing with investigations and would release further details in due course.

(NAN)