Amnesty International (AI) has called on the Nigerian authorities at all levels to ensure that those responsible for Usman Buda’s death in Sokoto State are brought to justice.
Buda, a butcher at Sokoto Abattoir, was lynched by an irate Muslim mob in Sokoto on Sunday, June 25, for allegedly making blasphemous comments against Prophet Muhammad.
The Police spokesperson, ASP Ahmad Rufa’i, said on arrival, the mob escaped the scene, leaving the victim unconscious. Buda was rescued and taken to the Usmanu Danfodiyo Teaching Hospital in Sokoto for treatment, where he was later confirmed dead.
Reacting to the incident, the human rights organisation’s acting Nigeria director, Isa Sanusi, condemned the killing of Buda and urged the government to investigate the ‘horrifying’ incident.
“Amnesty International strongly condemns the killing of Usman Buda today 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 to justice,” Sanusi stated.
According to Sanusi, 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.”
He also added that the Nigerian government needs no more evidence to see how dangerous accusations of blasphemy ar – leading to unlawful killings and even whole communities being attacked and their homes burned.
“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,” Sanusi noted.
