By Adadainfo
The Amnesty International, Monday, condemned the murder of a butcher, one Usman Buda, on Sunday in Sokoto State over alleged blasphemy.
Isa Sanusi, Amnesty’s acting director, in a release, called for thorough investigations into the matter to bring those behind the act to book.
Isa said, “Amnesty International strongly condemns the killing of Usman Buda at a market in Sokoto over alleged blasphemy. Nigerian authorities must immediately investigate this horrifying incident and ensure that those suspected of being responsible are brought justice.”
The organisation bemoaned the rate at which people are killed on allegations of blasphemy, adding that such act was a violation of fundamental human rights.
The statement added, “The alarming uptick in blasphemy killings and accusations underscores the urgency with which the authorities must wake up to Nigeria’s international legal obligations to respect and protect human rights, including freedom of religion, opinion and expression.
“Nigerian authorities need no more evidence to see how dangerous accusations of blasphemy are — leading to unlawful killings and even whole communities being attacked and their homes burnt.
“By failing again and again to ensure that those suspected of responsibility of killing(s) over alleged blasphemy are brought to justice, the Nigerian authorities continue to create a permissive environment for brutality.”
The police command in the state said an investigation had been launched to unravel the cause and to identify those behind the killing.
Recall that Deborah Samuel, a student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, was last year cruelly burnt for allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad.
Protests broke out in the state following the arrest of two suspects, forcing the state government to declare a curfew.
Though arrests were made by the police in 2022, the suspects were later released. Nobody was charged for Ms Samuel’s killing.
