Nigerian Imam narrates how he escaped death in New Zealand mosque attack

A Nigerian Imam has narrated how he escaped death in the New Zealand mosque attack that claimed the lives of many people.

According to Lateef Alabi who is the Linwood mosque’s acting Imam, terrorist Brenton Tarrant struck on the faithful day while he was leading the congregation in prayers.

He added that he saw a man in black military-style gear and a helmet holding a large gun and assumed it was a police officer.

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“I realised this is something else. This is a killer,” Alabi said after shouting at the congregation of more than 80 to get down and discovered two bodies while the gunman kept hurling curses.

“Everybody is angry, everybody is upset of course, and they want to see their dead ones and just want to pay their last respects and let them go to the grave, but the police have to complete their work and go through the normal procedure before they are released.

“We just request the bodies shouldn’t be too long in the mosque because the bodies are still lying over there and eventually it will be too difficult to wash the bodies and take to the burial and probably things will start deteriorating, that’s the worry” he said.

At least 49 people were killed after Tarrant allegedly attacked the mosques in the deadliest mass shooting in New Zealand since 1983.

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