Alfa Iliasu, said to be a prominent cleric in Ilesha-Baruba, Baruten local government area (LGA) of Kwara state, has been assassinated.
As reported on Sunday, May 31, by Daily Trust, community leaders confirmed that the cleric, who was widely respected across Baruten and neighbouring communities, was killed under controversial circumstances.
How Iliasu was attacked, killed in Kwara
Abdulrasheed Ibrahim, a former chairman of Baruten LGA, said preliminary reports indicated that the attack occurred around 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 30, 2026, while Quranic lessons were ongoing at the cleric’s residence.
He said the religious figure was rushed to the hospital but later died from injuries sustained during the attack, adding that the suspect was subsequently lynched by an angry mob.
Furthermore, Ibrahim stated that the suspect had initially been apprehended and taken into police custody before the situation escalated, leading to mob action and unrest within the community.
The mob reportedly overpowered security personnel at the police station before lynching the suspected attacker. Speaking on the incident, Muhammed Baba Saliu, the member representing Okuta/Yashikira constituency in the Kwara State House of Assembly, said the community was still piecing together details of the tragedy.
The lawmaker said: “We know the cleric has been butchered and buried. “Along the line, there are reports that among those who killed him, one of them was killed, another was arrested, and another one went away.
“Many reports are coming in, and I will speak further when I have a fuller grasp of the whole situation.” In the same vein, Halidu Abubakar, the emir of Ilesha-Baruba, confirmed Iliasu’s killing.
He explained that religious and traditional leaders immediately intervened to prevent a total breakdown of law and order.
The monarch said: “One man went and killed a prominent Islamic cleric, Alfa Ilyas, with a cutlass. Nobody really knows what transpired between them before the attack.”
The photo of the slain cleric can be viewed here.
