The Muslim Rights Concern has condemned the lynching of a woman identified only as Amaye over an alleged blasphemous statement in Kasuwan-Garba town, Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State.
The organisation, in a statement signed by its founder and executive director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Monday, disapproved of the attack, describing it as “extrajudicial, barbaric, and un-Islamic” and urged immediate police action.
According to Akintola, the incident, which occurred on Saturday, August 30, involved Amaye, a food vendor, who was accused of making blasphemous remarks about the Prophet Muhammad during an exchange with a customer.
Akintola noted that a crowd reportedly overpowered security and set the woman ablaze.
The statement read, “MURIC condemns this killing in the strongest terms. It is Bohemian, extrajudicial, barbaric, and un-Islamic.
“The killers must be brought to book. We charge the Niger State Police Command to immediately set the machinery in motion to arrest, detain, and prosecute the culprits. There will be no respect for the rule of law if mob killing goes unpunished.”
The group, however, called on the police to act swiftly to ensure that those responsible face prosecution and to deter future incidents of mob violence.