18 Years After: Wamakko Confesses to Killing Shiites in Sokoto, Destroying Their Islamic Centres and Homes

Four of the six activists of the Islamic Movement reportedly killed during the administration of former Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko i...

Four of the six activists of the Islamic Movement reportedly killed during the administration of former Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko in Sokoto, pictured alongside a copy of the 2014 Sokoto High Court verdict obtained by the Daily Struggle newspaper.

By Zainab Rauf

Eighteen years after the bloody persecution of members of the Islamic movement in Sokoto, former Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko has confessed to ordering the killing of Shiite followers and the destruction of their religious centres and homes during his tenure.

In a leaked video obtained by DAILY STRUGGLE, Wamakko is heard admitting that he directed a military operation led by a then–young Major named Nasiru, also known as Muhammad, who oversaw a night raid that resulted in deaths and the demolition of Shiite facilities.

According to Wamakko, Nasiru is now a Brigadier General, currently believed to be serving in Maiduguri. The former governor further revealed that the Sultan of Sokoto played what he described as a “significant role” in the killing of Shiite followers during the crackdown.

In the video, Wamakko said:

“In this state, we fought fiercely against the Shi’a ideology. During the time of Malam Danmaishiyya and Malam Bello Kofa, they helped us greatly. With God’s help, we eliminated the Shi’a. Even His Eminence, the Sultan, played a major role in the killing.”

He continued:

“I called a young Major named Nasiru, also called Muhammad, from Kontagora. I told him to come and give advice; he did. That very night, everything was carried out — we killed them and demolished their homes and schools, turned their centre into a waterworks and a hospital.”

The confession has renewed attention to the July 2007 Sokoto massacre, which followed the assassination of Umar Danmaishiyya, a Sunni cleric known for his anti-Shi’a sermons. In the aftermath of his death, under Wamakko’s administration, heavily armed soldiers, police officers, and civilian mobs attacked activists of the Islamic movement. Six Shiite followers were killed, while more than 63 homes and shops belonging to them were destroyed.

Following the incident, Sheikh Qasim Umar Sokoto and 114 other members of the movement were arrested and accused of involvement in Danmaishiyya’s killing. They were detained for seven years without trial in various facilities across Nigeria. In 2014, the Sokoto High Court acquitted and discharged 112 of the detainees, ruling that there was no evidence linking them to the crime. Two of the detainees reportedly died in custody before the verdict.

Reacting to Wamakko’s confession, Bilal Nasiru Umar, an activist of the Islamic movement, described the statement as a “clear admission of guilt.”

“As Wamakko himself confessed, the blood of those innocent servants of God lies on his hands,” he told DAILY STRUGGLE.

He called on the Federal Government and human rights organisations to ensure that justice is served for the victims and their families.

Analysts and legal observers say the confession, nearly two decades after Wamakko left office, reinforces the 2014 court ruling that exonerated the detained activists. They argue that the admission further exposes the tactics used by the Sokoto State Government at the time to suppress the Islamic movement under the guise of investigating Danmaishiyya’s death.

Human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, had documented the Sokoto crackdown as one of the earliest state-backed assaults on the Shiite community in northern Nigeria.

The 2007 incident marked a turning point in what would later become a wider pattern of persecution against the Islamic movement across the country.

Wamakko’s confession, coming nearly two decades after the killings, has sparked outrage nationwide. Religious leaders, civil society groups, and legal experts are calling on the Federal Government to reopen investigations into the Sokoto massacre and bring those responsible to justice.