Sani also urged citizens of Kaduna State to offer prayers for the repose of the souls of the departed
By Kehinde Okeowo
Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani has expressed shock over the collapse of the Zaria Central Mosque and ordered an investigation into what caused it.
A part of the iconic mosque in one of northern Nigeria’s largest cities, gave way while hundreds of people were inside for prayers Friday, and seven worshippers were reportedly killed in the process.
According to the state Emergency Management Agency, “Twenty-three persons were affected and evacuated to the hospital by our fire servicemen,”
Expressing his condolences to the families of the victims, Sani prayed for God’s divine healing and recovery of all those injured in the unfortunate incident.
He also thanked the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, for the fatherly role he played in rallying his subjects to carry out rescue operations and offer assistance to the injured.
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A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Muhammad Shehu said, “An advance team of senior government officials led by Balarabe Abbas Lawal, the Secretary to the State Government is already in Zaria to assess the situation on ground and attend the Islamic funeral rites of the deceased.”
Governor Sani further urged citizens of the state to offer prayers for the repose of the souls of the departed in the incident.
The Zaria Central Mosque, which was constructed in the 1830s, has for decades opened its doors to Muslim faithful from all parts of the world.
This collapse comes after more than a dozen building failures in Nigeria in the last year. Authorities have blamed the disasters on a failure by officials to enforce building safety regulations and poor maintenance.
