Mohammed Aminu in Sokoto
The leader of the Shi’ite sect in Sokoto State, Malam Kasim Umar Rinintawaye, is dead.
He died wednesday at an undisclosed hospital in Kano where he was said to be receiving treatment.
Rinintawaye was reportedly shot by the police during one of their free spiritual leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, campaigns in Abuja.
El-Zakzaky has been in detention for about two years despite being ordered to granted bail by the courts.
The Shiite leader who died at the age of 50, was said to be leading the procession when he was shot on the leg that eventually led to his death.
His son, Muhammad Qassim Umar, first broke the news about the death of his father, reaffirming their loyalty to El-Zakzaky.
The remains of the deceased had already been buried in Sokoto wednesday.
The funeral prayer was graced by leading Shiite clerics from Niger Republic, Ghana and Mali.
The late Shiite leader is survived by one wife and four children.
Speaking with journalists in Sokoto yesterday, one of the leading member of the group in the state, Malam Sidi Mannir, appealed to their members to remain calm and continue to pray for the repose of the soul of the deceased.
“Because he died as a martyr, we are thanking God for that and pray for the repose of his soul,†Mannir added.
