The woman, identified in local reports as Amaye, was attacked in the town of Kasuwan-Garba on Saturday. Eyewitnesses told local outlets that the incident began after a man jokingly proposed marriage to her, and her response was deemed offensive and blasphemous by people nearby.
State police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said, "Unfortunately, it led to a mob attack, and [she] was set ablaze before a reinforcement of security teams could arrive at the scene." He described the killing as “jungle justice” and confirmed that an investigation has been opened to find those responsible.
Authorities have appealed for calm in the community and urged the public not to take the law into their own hands, reports the BBC.
Blasphemy cases are not rare in northern Nigeria, where Islamic law functions alongside the secular legal system in 12 Muslim-majority states. Rights groups say accusations are often manipulated. Amnesty International stated that blasphemy is regularly “weaponised to settle personal scores” and warned that minor disagreements can escalate into deadly mob attacks.
At least two other people have been killed in similar cases in recent years. In 2022, student Deborah Samuel was beaten and burned in Sokoto state following accusations she made blasphemous comments. Last year, a butcher named Usman Buda was stoned to death in the same state.
Despite Nigeria’s constitution guaranteeing free expression, enforcement has been inconsistent, and critics argue that not enough has been done to prevent such killings. The country’s Supreme Court has previously ruled that blasphemy charges must be proven in court, but mob justice continues to bypass the legal process.
