A woman has been burnt to death by a mob in northern Nigeria's Niger state after she was accused of blaspheming against Prophet Muhammad, police have said.
Police condemned the killing of the woman - identified in local media as a food vendor named Amaye - as jungle justice, saying that an investigation was underway to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.
Local media reported that a man jokingly proposed marriage to the vendor, and her response was deemed blasphemous by some in the community.
Unfortunately, it led to a mob attack, and she was set ablaze before security teams could arrive at the scene, state police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun stated.
He urged the public to remain calm and not take the law into their own hands following the killing on Saturday in Kasuwan-Garba town.
Such killings are not uncommon in northern Nigeria, where blasphemy is treated as a serious offense under Islamic (Sharia) law, which coexists alongside secular law in 12 predominantly Muslim states.
At least two other individuals have been lynched over similar accusations in the past three years, with critics pointing out that insufficient actions have been taken to prevent these targeted killings affecting both Muslims and Christians.
In 2022, student Deborah Samuel was beaten and burned alive in Sokoto state after being accused of making blasphemous comments, and the previous year, a butcher, Usman Buda, was stoned to death under comparable circumstances.
Although Nigeria's constitution supports freedom of speech, the nation is deeply divided on issues of faith and justice. The Supreme Court of Nigeria has previously ruled that blasphemy allegations must be substantiated in a court of law.
