Two mosques and other properties belonging to the Hausa community in the university town of Nsukka in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State were burnt by irate youths following the stabbing of a tricycle rider by Hausa siblings.

The crisis started on Saturday when some Hausa people attacked and stabbed a tricycle operator, who conveyed a Hausa woman, identified as Aisha, with her goods to the Army barracks.

The woman allegedly refused to pay the rider the agreed upon transport fare of N750 and this generated into an exchange of words which led Aisha to call her siblings who not only beat the rider but also stabbed him.

Angered by the attack on the tricycle operator, youths of the area mobilised and launched what seemed like a reprisal and allegedly destroyed two mosques and other valuables belonging to the Hausa community in the area.

Two of the Hausa attackers, Hassan Yakubu and Nurudeen Mohammed, were reported to have been picked up by irate youths, who descended on them to settle the scores.

Hassan, who spoke with newsmen, revealed that his sister Aisha contacted him on the phone, but before he arrived at the scene, one of his brothers, Nurudeen, had stabbed the tricycle operator.

 “In short, he and my other brothers had fought with the rider. Unfortunately, he (Nurudeen) stabbed him. So, when he fled, the youths picked on me”, he said.

An eyewitness said that the mob blocked the entry and exit points to the popular army barracks junction in Nsukka, burning tyres and destroying items belonging to Hausa people immediately it was alleged that the tricycle rider had died.

It was gathered that the military from the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, later arrived at the scene with over three Hilux vans and Armoured Personnel Carrier and calmed the situation.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka has appealed for calm, saying that the stabbed keke operator, who was rumoured to have died, was still alive and responding to medical treatment at its hospital.