Obi demands thorough probe as police hold two suspects over Kano commentator’s killing

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has called for a thorough investigation into the killing of Kano-based social media commentator Ibrahim Khalil Dan Shagamu.

Obi posted the appeal on X on Friday, condemning the death and asking the Kano State Government and security agencies to bring those responsible to justice. Dan Shagamu was killed at his home in Gaida Quarters, Kumbotso Local Government Area, on Monday night. The Kano State Police Command said two suspects have been arrested.

According to the police, the attack happened about 11:30pm after the vigilante commander in Gaida reported that unknown persons had forced their way into the house. Officers from Kumbotso Division took him to Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, where a doctor confirmed him dead.

The suspects are in custody and being questioned. Forensic work is under way to establish the circumstances and motive. The command has said the inquiry will run to its end and that the suspects will be charged after investigation.

Obi said disagreement or criticism cannot justify taking a life. “I am deeply saddened by the killing of social media commentator, Ibrahim Khalil Dan Shagamu, in his home in Kano. No disagreement, criticism, or neighbourhood dispute can ever justify the taking of a human life.

Those who speak up, express their opinions, or hold different views must not be made to live in fear.” He asked for a thorough, transparent and impartial investigation, cited constitutional freedom of expression, and offered condolences to the family, friends, colleagues and followers.

Two arrests are a start, not a verdict. A commentator killed at home raises an immediate public question about whether speech itself made him a target. That question is answered only if the investigation names a motive and a charge, not if statements stop at sorrow.

Obi’s intervention puts the case on a national political stage. The work that matters is still in Kumbotso: interrogation, forensics and a file that can stand in court. Until that file is complete, the public has a death, two people in cells, and a demand that opinion should not be a death sentence.