For a 24-year-old Zaliha Aliyu Gidan Kanawa, her marriage to Professor Hassan Muhammad Maishanu was defined by love, understanding and mutual respect, but that changed and instantly became memories on Wednesday, September 9, 2026 when tragedy struck the family when a gas explosion happened in their home in Sokoto, leaving the professor and his daughter, Husnah critically injured.
Husnah, 21, was a 100-level Software Engineering student at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS). She didn’t survive the tragedy as she died later that night, alongside her father, who was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), where he eventually died.
Zaliha, who was with the professor shortly before the incident, recalled that they were seated in the sitting room with one of their daughters when their young son, Sudais, entered and complained that he was hungry. She narrated that she called on Husnah, who was preparing the food, to ask why it was taking so long for the food to be ready. She noted that Husnah explained that the main gas wasn’t producing enough flame, while the smaller camp gas had also developed a problem.
Zaliha said she then called on her husband to help check it. Prof Maishanu was said to have followed Husnah into the kitchen, and minutes later, they heard a loud explosion.
‘They came out and we saw him completely burnt,’ she recalled, adding that the professor managed to open another door from behind before Husnah came out, noting that Sudais was later found unconscious.
Zaliha recalled that her husband had a bad cold and couldn’t smell anything properly. She believed his inability to smell anything may have prevented him from perceiving the odour of the gas while he was checking the cooker. She, however, noted that the meal being prepared wasn’t affected by the explosion, nor did they see the main gas cylinder catch fire.
The victims were taken to the UDUTH and immediately admitted at the ICU. Husnah died around midnight on the day of the incident, but the family decided not to tell her father. According to Zaliha, when she visited him on Tuesday, September 15, their last conversation was about his recovery. He told her that he was feeling much better after sleeping for about three hours and that the pain and worries he had been experiencing had reduced. He then asked about Husnah.
‘I was told she was getting better, so I told him she was still in the ICU and being taken care of. People came to sympathise with him over her death, but he told them that she wasn’t dead but recuperating,’ Zaliha said.
The widow noted that their marriage taught her many lessons, describing their relationship as one built on love, understanding and companionship.
‘He was a very good husband. I don’t think any marriage was filled with love, affection and understanding like ours.
His students speak
At the UDUS, for students and colleagues of Prof Maishanu, the tragedy represents the loss of a teacher remembered for his kindness, discipline, simplicity and gentle nature.
Abdul’azeez Rahmatullah, a Botany graduate and former student of the professor, who was also his project supervisor, described him as a friendly lecturer who was always smiling and punctual to class.
‘He was like a father to us. He helped us when we needed help academically. He helped us a lot,’ he said.
Another former student, Umar Yahaya Tsafe, noted that the professor supervised his project and taught him lessons that went beyond academics. He recalled how the professor once insisted that a student who was not serious about his project must become committed before completing the work. Yet, after the student eventually finished, Prof Maishanu gave him money.
‘That was one of the things that came to my mind when I heard about his death,’ Tsafe said.
Dr Ibrahim Yusuf Tafinta of the Department of Plant Science, who worked with the professor when he was Head of Department, described him as hardworking and generous.
‘He was a person who never envied anyone. He was always content with life. He had all the qualities you could desire in a human being,’ he said.
Also, Prof AF Waziri, the Head of the Department of Plant Science, who was both his student and colleague, said Prof Maishanu was a man of integrity, commitment and good character. He said the professor was deeply committed to religion, maintained good relations with people without discrimination, and regularly advised others on how to improve themselves.
Waziri said Maishanu’s death had created a major gap in the department as they shared courses and he was supervising several students whose projects would now have to be reassigned. He also recalled that on Tuesday, September 8, a day before the tragic explosion, Maishanu distributed copies of the Holy Qur’an to colleagues and offered to provide more for people who needed them for distribution elsewhere.
‘He never missed Fajr’
For his eldest son, Ahmad Hassan Maishanu, his father’s commitment to helping others and his religious devotion are memories he would never forget. Ahmad said his father was particularly passionate about helping orphans, always cheerful and never allowed his position to create a distance between him and people. He recalled seeing his father sitting with the family’s gateman, chatting with him like a close friend. He also spoke about his father’s devotion to prayers passionately.
‘Since I was born, I have never seen my father wake up and miss Fajr prayer,’ he said.
Ahmad recalled visiting him in the early hours of Thursday while he was still in the hospital. ‘He asked me, ‘Ahmad, have you prayed?’ I told him yes. Immediately, I saw him straighten his leg, and with his eyes, he started praying,’ he said.
He later went to get water for his father’s bath, only to return and find that he had died. Ahmad said the family was touched by the tributes that followed his father’s death, including accounts of how he supported students and colleagues in ways they had not known while he was alive.
Prof Hassan Muhammad Maishanu, born on July 18, 1970, in Sokoto, obtained a BSc in Botany from Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, in 1991, an MSc in Forestry from the University of Ibadan in 1994 and a PhD in Botany from the UDUS in 2011. He joined the UDUS as a part-time lecturer in 1994 and rose through the ranks to become a Senior Lecturer and later Reader (Associate Professor). He attained the rank of Professor in November 2025.
He is survived by his wife and 13 children. Another wife, with whom he had eight children, had separated from him, while his other wife, had six children, but one (Husnah) died before him.
His immediate elder sister, Hadiza Muhammad Maishanu, is also mourning the loss of a brother she described as loving, generous and committed to the family. She said that after her husband died seven years ago, Maishanu took responsibility for her and her six children, regularly sending her money for food and other household needs.
‘He was always there for me. He told me that whenever I needed anything I should tell him,’ she said.