Tension as Imam dies in police custody

The family of a young Imam in Kano has raised alarm over his death while in police custody, alleging that he was tortured to death by officers of the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The deceased, 24-year-old Imam Salim Usman, who led prayers in Kuntau, Gwale Local Government Area of Kano metropolis, died on Monday shortly after his arrest.

Witnesses said a police team stormed his home in the Afforestation area of Kuntau around 7 p.m. on Monday, shortly after he led the Magrib prayer. His arrest was reportedly linked to a suspect accused of stealing a bag of flour last year, who allegedly named Usman as the buyer.

According to CCTV footage obtained by the family, officers were seen beating the cleric. The footage showed two policemen — one in uniform and armed, the other in plain clothes — assaulting him.

Neighbours claimed the assault continued after he was taken into custody, eventually leading to his death. They also alleged that other residents who trailed the cleric to the station to protest his arrest were beaten and tortured.

A relative of the deceased, Jamilu Haruna, said that Usman died the same day from injuries sustained in police custody.He said:“The police took his remains to the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital as an unidentified person, but the hospital rejected the corpse. The police subsequently took the corpse at another facility – Abdullahi Wase Hospital, where he was deposited in the mortuary.

“We (the family) had filed a complaint to the police authorities through our counsel, Adamu Abubakar, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). The police claimed that they have arrested some officers for unprofessional conduct and have commenced an investigation into the incident.

“He was buried on Friday after an autopsy at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, and we paid N90,000 for the autopsy. He died on 22 September and was buried on 26 September after an autopsy was approved by the court and the police. We are expecting the autopsy result after four weeks.”

The incident has sparked outrage in Kuntau, with residents and members of the late cleric’s congregation expressing grief over what they described as the killing of an innocent man.

The police spokesperson in Kano, Haruna Kiyawa, did not respond to calls and text messages seeking comment.