Nigeria: Student accused of blasphemy is burnt to death

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A student has been beaten and burnt to death by fellow students in northwestern Nigeria after she was accused of making a blasphemous social media post. Deborah Samuel was killed after being accused of “making a social media post that blasphemed … Prophet Muhammad,” according to a police statement. Two students were arrested. Authorities also closed the school indefinitely, in a bid to calm frayed nerves in that part of Nigeria where residents have in the past violently reacted to actions or comments deemed anti-Islamic. Samuel’s killing caused outrage and shock among many Nigerians. It highlights the deep religious tension in a country almost evenly divided between Christians in the south and Muslims in the north.