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By Oscar Okhifo
Another brutal case of mob justice has rocked northern Nigeria, as a female food vendor identified as Ammaye was stoned to death by angry youths in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State over alleged blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad.
The incident occurred on Saturday, August 30, 2025, at Kasuwan Garba, after a disagreement between the woman and her nephew in nearby Igwama village.
Witnesses said the young man jokingly told her he wished to marry her “to fulfil the Sunnah,” a remark which led to her response that some locals considered blasphemous.
The case was taken to the District Head of Kasuwan Garba, who referred it to security operatives for investigation. But before the law could take its course, a mob besieged the palace, overpowered security personnel, dragged out the helpless woman and halled stones on her till she was reduced to a pool of blood and she died.
Shockingly, no arrests have been announced. The Chairman of Mariga Local Government, Abbas Adamu, merely stated that “calm has been restored” in the area, an all-too-familiar refrain after such killings.
This incident mirrors the 2022 lynching of Deborah Samuel, a female student in Sokoto State, who was also killed over alleged blasphemy. Then, as now, mob action replaced lawful process, and justice was never served. One recalled the outrage and the nonchalance that followed. Not a single statement of warning or condemnation was heard from then President Mohammadu Buhari and other Northern bigwigs of the Islamic faith. Vice President Atiku Abubakar who earlier tweeted a condemnation quickly deleted. It was later rumoured that he was pressured to take down the tweet. This , he never denied.
Governor Umar Bago is yet to make any official statement as regards this.
The recurring killings of so called blasphemers, raise questions about Nigeria’s commitment to the rule of law and the protection of lives.
As long as perpetrators keep escaping accountability, such barbaric acts are likely to continue, leaving ordinary citizens vulnerable to the tyranny of mob violence. Will the murderers in Niger state again escape justice like their comrades in Sokoto? Time shall tell.