Speaking with journalists, the deceased’s son, Isa Kasim, said his father had gone out at dawn to call Muslims to prayer.
A cleric, identified as Ladan Zubairu, has been killed while calling to prayer at Yusuf Garko Mosque in Maraba Quarters, Kano, on Monday morning.
The suspect allegedly responsible for the killing was pursued by a mob and killed, and his residence set on fire, before security personnel intervened to restore order.
Speaking with journalists, the deceased’s son, Isa Kasim, said his father had gone out at dawn to call Muslims to prayer.
He had explained that after making the first call, his father usually sat briefly to recite supplications before the second call.
“He had just finished the first call and was seated when someone entered the mosque with a weapon, grabbed him and slaughtered him. In short, his throat was slit,” Kasim said.
He added that following the attack, some youths in the area mobilised and killed the assailant.
“By the will of God, the attacker did not escape. Members of the community gathered, tracked him down and killed him,” he said.
Kasim also said that after the assailant was killed, residents discovered the cleric’s severed throat wrapped in a nylon bag inside the suspect’s pocket.
Confirming the incident, Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said officers quickly intervened to restore calm.
“Our officers quickly intervened to restore calm and prevent further escalation. Normalcy has now returned to Maraba Quarters,” Kiyawa said.
The police recovered both bodies and transported them to the Mohammed Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital for autopsy.
The state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, has ordered a thorough investigation.
“We are committed to ensuring that anyone found culpable will face the full force of the law,” Kiyawa added.
Authorities have asked residents to remain calm and provide any information that may assist the investigation.
In a previous incident, the family of Salim Usman, an imam from the Kuntau community in Gwale Local Government Area, protested his death in police custody in September, alleging he was tortured.