In Niger State, northern Nigeria, a woman identified by local media as Amaye, a food vendor, was killed by a mob after being accused of blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad, according to police reports. Authorities condemned the incident as an act of “jungle justice” and confirmed that an investigation has been launched to apprehend and prosecute those responsible.
Eyewitness accounts suggest the violence began when a man jokingly proposed marriage to the vendor, and her response was deemed blasphemous by some individuals present. State police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun explained that the situation escalated into a mob attack, during which the woman was set on fire before security reinforcements could arrive. He urged the public to exercise restraint and avoid taking the law into their own hands following the attack, which occurred on Saturday in Kasuwan-Garba.
Such incidents are not uncommon in northern Nigeria, where blasphemy is considered a criminal offence under Sharia (Islamic) law, which operates alongside secular law in 12 predominantly Muslim states. Amnesty International has observed that blasphemy accusations are frequently “weaponised to settle personal scores,” noting that even minor disputes sometimes deliberately provoked can trigger mob lynchings.
Over the past three years, at least two other individuals have been killed under similar circumstances, including Deborah Samuel, a student who was beaten and burned alive in Sokoto State in 2022, and Usman Buda, a butcher stoned to death in 2023 in the same region. Critics argue that insufficient measures have been taken to prevent such killings, which have targeted both Muslims and Christians.
While Nigeria’s constitution guarantees freedom of expression, deep societal divisions persist regarding matters of faith and justice. The Supreme Court has previously ruled that allegations of blasphemy must be substantiated through due legal process in a court of law.
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