A shocking case of Nigeria blasphemy killing has been reported in Niger State, where a woman was burned alive by a mob after being accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad.
Police said the attack took place on Saturday in the community of Kasuwan Garba, Mariga district. The victim, identified as Amayi, a food vendor originally from Katsina State, was surrounded by a furious crowd and set on fire after allegedly making blasphemous remarks.
“The woman was burned alive in a mob attack,” said state police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun, condemning the killing and urging calm while investigations continue. Authorities are searching for those responsible.
Blasphemy is punishable by death under Islamic sharia law, which operates in 12 northern states alongside Nigeria’s civil legal system. In practice, however, many accused of blasphemy are killed by mobs before any legal proceedings can take place.
Religious tensions in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation of 220 million people, are frequent, with Christians and Muslims split almost evenly across the country. Both communities have been victims of mob violence over alleged blasphemy.
In June 2023, butcher Usman Buda was stoned to death in Sokoto over similar allegations, while in 2022, Christian student Deborah Samuel was killed by Muslim classmates after accusations of blasphemy.
In recent years, two Muslim clerics and a gospel singer have also been sentenced to death for blasphemy under sharia courts in Kano, though their appeals are still pending and the executions have not been carried out.
The latest Nigeria blasphemy killing has again raised concerns over mob justice and religious violence in the country.
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