Religious bigotry and mindless violence were, once again, on display in Zamfara State on August 22, as an angry mob lynched a Yoruba polytechnic student over an allegation of blasphemy by a Muslim fellow student. A Muslim Good Samaritan, who allowed his car to be used to take the victim to the hospital, had his shop and house set ablaze by the mob, with seven persons killed in the inferno.
The increasing spate of these killings, and the ease with which they are perpetrated, are terrible signs that something is wrong with the Nigerian society.  We cannot but recall the recent murder of a 74-year-old woman, Mrs. Bridget Agbahime, at the Kofar Wambai market, Kano, on June 2. The woman was killed in the presence of her husband by a mob, after she was accused of blasphemy during an altercation with a fellow trader in the market.
Two days earlier, another trader identified as Methodus Chimaije Emmanuel, 24, was reportedly attacked and murdered by another mob in Pandogari, in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State. The killers had alleged that he posted a blasphemous statement in the social media. Although the military quickly restored order, the mob resumed hostilities the next day and killed three more persons, including a member of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The killers also burnt a church, a house and at least 25 shops as they blocked the Lagos—Kaduna Expressway linking the Northern and Southern parts of Nigeria.
On June 7, another mob brutally attacked a 41-year old carpenter, Mr. Francis Emmanuel, in the Kakuri area of Kaduna metropolis. He was accused of not participating in the Ramadan fast.
After each horrific incident, the government, states and federal, exhibit political correctness by saying the right things. But, their unwillingness to take the decisive measures required to end these killings makes their statements ring hollow, if not hypocritical.  President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the Zamfara incident, calling it barbaric.  The Zamfara State governor has been labouring to reassure Nigerians that this is no Muslim-Christian conflict, pointing out the killing of seven Muslims by the fanatics.  The Kano incident had also elicited a statement from President Muhammadu Buhari, who condemned the murder and urged the prosecution of the perpetrators. The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar II, also condemned the Kano incident.  But, the optimism on the arraignment of five suspects for the murder of Mrs. Agbahime has since evaporated.  Nothing more has been heard of the case, just as nothing has been heard of the cases in Niger and Kaduna States.
We have said earlier that as much as we appreciate the sentiments of the President, the Sultan and the governors, we are constrained to point out that those sentiments are just words that are unlikely to save the next victim.  The failure to bring perpetrators of crimes of this nature to book is responsible for the unending killings of innocent persons over blasphemy allegations. There is hardly any record of a single diligent prosecution of perpetrators of such murders, to say nothing of a conviction. The perpetrators of these crimes have a sense of protection, that they would never be held to account for these crimes and that is why on the slightest pretext, they accuse their neighbours of blasphemy and get a mob to kill them with impunity.
It is painful, but we cannot but recall the murder of Gideon Akaluka, who was savagely beheaded by a mob and had his head stuck on a spike and paraded around the city of Kano in a most barbaric manner.  Nigeria cannot continue to take for granted the tolerance, patience and forbearance of Christians, who are often the targets of these senseless attacks. Each incident is a potential dynamite, and each is like a cut on the corporate harmony of Nigeria.
We must restate that Nigerian laws provide for the prosecution of blasphemy. Section 204 of the Criminal Code Act prohibits blasphemy and prescribes severe punishment for offenders. There is, therefore, no need for the resort to mindless murders of those who are suspected to have committed the act.  We urge the Sultan and Islamic organisations such as the Jamatu-Nasril Islam (JNI) and the Muslim Students Society (MSS) to remind all Muslims that blasphemy is a crime under Nigeria’s laws and whoever is suspected of that crime should be reported to the police for arrest and prosecution. The accused should not be subjected to jungle justice. We urge all Nigerians to eschew religious fanaticism and embrace tolerance, peace and understanding. The relevant authorities should also ensure that the perpetrators of these mindless killings are apprehended and brought to justice.

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