A female food seller simply identified as Ammaye has been lynched in the Mariga local government area of Niger State by an irate mob over alleged blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad.
The event was reported to have occurred at Kasuwan Garba in the council area.
According to eyewitnesses, the confrontation began in the nearby town of Igwama, where the woman, who is also a Muslim and is well known among neighbours as a food seller, apparently exchanged words with a young guy who is supposed to be her nephew.
According to reports, the young man playfully told her that he wanted to marry her to “fulfil the Sunnah”, which prompted the woman to make blasphemous statements, generating indignation among the townspeople.
The situation was said to have been carried to the palace of Kasuwan Garba’s District Head, where the woman was probed and apparently repeated what she had previously stated.
The District Head was forced to hand her over to security personnel for further inquiry, but a crowd of outraged teenagers demanded her instant execution.
It was also reported that, despite efforts by security personnel to protect her, the mob overwhelmed them and stoned her to death.
The Chairman of Mariga Local Government, Abbas Adamu, confirmed the mob attack and stated that tranquillity has since been restored in the area.
