A disturbing video surfaced online on Thursday of a Nigerian student being beaten and burnt alive by an angry mob in northwestern Nigeria after being accused of sharing a blasphemous social media post.
Details
The victim, Deborah Samuel, a level two student, was killed in Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto State after being accused of making a blasphemous social media post of Prophet Muhammad.
- Reports say the late student believed to be a Christian attributed her academic success to Jesus when questioned about her excellence by her colleagues. The angered students then ordered her to retract such a statement, but faced a stern refusal by the victim.
- The school intervened by moving her to their security post, but an angry mob of students who beat and killed her overpowered them.
State of play
This incident highlights a disturbing religious crisis Africa’s most populous nation is facing, which almost evenly divides Christians in the southern part of the country and Muslims in the north.
- In April 2022, an atheist received a 24 years prison sentence for a social media post a court in Kano, North of Nigeria, found to be blasphemous against the Muslim religion.
What they are saying
Sokoto police spokesperson Sanusi Abubakar speaking about the incident said that the State police command has arrested two suspects in an investigation ordered by the Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal.
- He added that they are working on identifying the suspects in the viral video.
Meanwhile, the college’s management has shut down the school till further notice.