Nigeria: Student lynched and set on fire for ‘blasphemous’ WhatsApp messages

Students beat to death and set fire to one of their classmates, accusing her of posting “blasphemous” comments to a student group on the WhatsApp app, according to eyewitnesses.

Shehu Shagari College, located in the state of Sokoto in northwestern Nigeria, closed immediately after the attack..

In northern Nigeria, where the heinous crime took place, Muslims make up the majority of the population. On the contrary, in the south the Christian element dominates.

In 2007, Muslim students beat a teacher they accused of desecrating the Koran.

“There is a WhatsApp group used by students. “A Muslim student posted an excerpt from the Koran and she criticized the post.”, reports a testimony transmitted by Reuters. “He composed an audio message containing blasphemous comments about the Prophet Muhammad, which he made public to the group and this sparked the rest,” it said.

School guards and police tried to save the unfortunate girl, but were unable to stop the mob, according to eyewitnesses. “Police fired tear gas at the students and fired into the air to disperse the crowd, but they resisted.”, said Sumaya Usman, a sophomore. As he explained, the police abandoned the effort, when they were attacked with sticks and stones. “Then the students attacked the girl with stones and sticks. “After they beat her, they burned her.”he said.

Shehu Shagari College in Sokoto issued a statement after the heinous crime stating that it suspends its operation indefinitely.

A spokesman for Sokoto’s Muslim leader condemned the attack, saying it was an “unfortunate incident” that resulted in the death of a student».