Imam: How I escaped 2014 Boko Haram attack on Kano mosque

Prof. Sani Zahradeen, the Imam who led Jumu’at prayers during Boko Haram attack at Kano Central Mosque in 2014, has revealed how he escaped the incident.

Boko Haram militants launched a deadly assault on the Kano Central Mosque, killing many worshippers on November 28, 2014.

Over 200 people died in the attack which was believed to have been targeted at the dethroned emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II.

Prof Zahradeen, who is the Grand Imam of Kano Emirate, said the attack lasted one hour.

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Narrating the incident in an interview with Trust TV, the Imam, who was Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano (BUK), said, “That is about seven years ago which is 28 November 2014, I finished reading the Khudba (sermon) and (we are) about to start praying, when I said Allahu Akbar (Allah is the greatest) then I heard BOOM behind me but I didn’t realized that there was anything.

“But later on before I started reading (Qur’an), people started saying Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar in the back, my son was trying to see what was going on, some people were crying and (there was) shots outside.

“My son who took me to the mosque came in trying to go outside then I said no no they were shooting outside, we stayed in the mosque for about one hour.”

Asked where the emir was at that moment, the Imam said, “The emir was not in the mosque at that time, he was not in the country, he was performing lesser hajj but he heard about it, he called me and said ‘I just heard what happened, we were finishing up, I was on way tomorrow Insha Allah.”

On number of died, the Imam said, “Official they said more than 100 people died but somebody told me there was more than 500 casualties, so today is the 7th anniversary and Insha Allah we will pray for the dead souls.”