COTABATO CITY – A teacher and village treasurer from the Bangsamoro’s Special Geographic Area (SGA) was killed in a gun attack on Wednesday, Dec. 19, in Pikit, Cotabato.
Police identified the victim as Yasser Mama Abdullah, a part-time educator who recently passed the Licensure Exam for Teachers.
He was shot while standing outside the Noorul Eilm Academy Foundation Inc. in Barangay Inug-og around 3:30 p.m. by two gunmen on a motorcycle.
According to Police Major Arvin John Cambang, Abdullah was about to leave for home on his motorcycle when he was ambushed.
Despite being rushed to the Cruzado Medical Hospital, he succumbed to his injuries. Authorities recovered empty 9mm shell casings at the scene.
Abdullah, who also served as the treasurer of Barangay Macabual in Tugunan, had no known enemies, his relatives said.
His killing comes less than three weeks after two high school students from the same school were shot dead on Dec. 3.
The Noorul Eilm Academy community expressed shock and grief over Abdullah’s death, especially since he had just celebrated passing his teacher’s licensure exam. He was laid to rest according to Islamic traditions on the same day.
Authorities are investigating the incident and have identified several persons of interest related to the attack.