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From John Adams Minna
It is still atmosphere of disquiet in Niger State following the burning alive of a woman in Kasuwan Garba, Mariga Local Government of the state on Saturday for alleged blasphemy.
After 24 hours that the incident occurred , neither the state government nor any of the religious bodies have made comment about the dastardly act.
A resident of Kasuwan-Garba Town , on Saturday evening ,told how the woman was lynched and set ablaze over an alleged blasphemous remark against Prophet Muhammad.
The local,who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the woman was first taken to the palace of the District head of Kasuwan-Garba, for questioning over her alleged blasphemous comment.
“ After the interrogation at the palace, she was handed over to security operatives for further investigation. Not satisfied with the decision of the District head, the mob seized her after overpowering the security operatives and lynched her ,before setting her ablaze.
“ The lady, a Muslim faithful and a popular food seller in the area , was said to have engaged in a hot exchange of words with a young man said to be her nephew. The young man jokingly told the deceased that he wanted to marry her to fulfil the Sunnah .It was at that point that the lady was alleged to have made comments considered blasphemous, which eventually led to her untimely death.
Another local said that the deceased was accused of committing blasphemy after a man approached her for marriage. She was beaten up , before she was set ablaze.”
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Iman Forum and other religious forums in the state have kept mute over the incident.
Apart from the Chairman of Mariga LG, Abbas Adamu Kasuwan-Garba ,who confirmed that normalcy had been restored in the town, there is no other official statement from the state government .
Similarly, yesterday, Niger State Police Public Relations Officer ( PPRO),SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident, saying:“ On September 30, at about 2 pm, report received indicated that one Amaye, a female of Kasuwan-Garba, Mariga LG, made some comments against the Islamic prophet.
“Unfortunately, it led to a mob attack and she was set ablaze before the reinforcement of the security teams”. he added.
He, however, said that,”efforts are being made to ensure that arrests are effected and the incident investigated and those arrested prosecuted “
