Hundreds of people in the city of Sokoto, Nigeria rallied on Saturday (14/5) against the arrest of two students. News agency AFP reported the demonstration citing the testimonies of a number of residents.
The arrests were made after the murder of a Christian student accused of blasphemy.
Africa’s most populous country is evenly divided between Muslims and Christians, but faith-based tensions are recurring, especially in the north.
Deborah Samuel, a Shehu Shagari Education Faculty student was stoned to death on Thursday (12/5) and her body burned by a group of Muslim students on campus. Deborah is accused of uploading something on social media that is considered insulting to the Prophet Muhammad.
Police said they had made two arrests in the aftermath of the incident and had started hunting for several other suspects seen in the video of the killing that went viral on social media.
On Saturday (14/5) morning, Muslim youths took to the streets of the city, lit bonfires and demanded the release of the two suspects.
On Saturday (14/5) afternoon, Sokoto Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal appealed to the demonstrators to return home. He then announced the imposition of a curfew. [vm/ft]
