Gruesome murder of social media critic Dan Shagamu in Kano sparks outrage

By our reporter 10.9.2026
Kano State government and citizens have been outraged by the gruesome murder of social media commentator and critic Ibrahim Khalil Dan Shagamu.
He was discovered dead with his body badly mutilated with his head almost severed in his home in Gaida, where he was taking refuge following threat to his life. Threats he reported to the police and Emir of Kano.
One of his siblings Malama Halima said he had been constantly switching homes because of the threats
“He had alleged that some people were after his life, so he stopped sleeping at home. He stayed with a friend and avoided anywhere where he sensed a threat,” Halima told news reporters.
“Some people came to him, trying to take him away in the name of a palliative by Bola Tinubu. They later asked him to go to a place opposite Sahad where he would get a cod. But he was skeptical about it, so he did not go.”
According to her Dan Shagamu remain in the house and when his friend staying with came home he couldn’t gain entrance because the doors were locked and that was when he called the police.
Dan Shagamu’s nephew Muhammad Hizbullah Kabiru added: “When we got there with the police, we jumped over the house. We found him dead with his head almost severed completely. Only the last bone was attached,” he said.
Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, in a statement signed his aide, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, urged residents to remain calm while security agents investigate the incident. He also directed the DSS and other security agencies to ensure that the perpetrators were apprehended.
The Kano State Police Command said it has arrested two people in connection with the murder.
“The suspects are currently in custody undergoing interrogation. The Command has intensified efforts to apprehend any other persons who may be connected to the crime. Statements are being obtained, and forensic procedures are ongoing to establish the full facts and motive behind the attack,” said Kano Police spokesperson CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa