Mob in Bauchi beats man to death for professing new religion
Story from Ahmad SAKA, Bauchi
The Bauchi State Police Command has confirmed that a young man identified as Yunusa Usman has been beaten to death on Wednesday by an irate mob in Nasaru, Ningi Local Council of Bauchi State, for allegedly making blasphemous comments.
Police Public Relations Officer PPRO Mohammed Ahmed Wakil confirmed the incident on Thursday in Bauchi.
He said that the police is deeply saddened by the unfortunate incident in Nasaru village, which happened on 19th of June, 2024.
He said, “It has come to our attention that an individual named Usman was involved in sharing information about a new religious movement known as the Faira Movement.
“Regrettably, this led to tensions and an altercation, resulting in his unfortunate death.
Wakil added that the Commissioner of Police, Auwal Musa Muhammad, condemned the actions of the individuals involved and emphasised the importance of upholding the law.
He expressed the command’s commitment to stepping up surveillance patrols to ensure the safety and security of all residents and advised the public to work together with law enforcement agencies and refrain from taking matters into their own hands.
He urged the community to remain calm and go about their daily activities without fear of intimidation, as normalcy has been restored in the affected area.
Reports revealed that Yunusa was murdered at about 3pm on Wednesday after an argument about a religious sect.
The situation attracted the attention of many people who were around and following the line of argument among them.
An eyewitness said that the victim was a member of Faira Islamic Sect, he was heard to have spoken words of insults on the Prophet.
The eyewitness added that some young men challenged Yunusa to withdraw his statement, but he insisted he would not.
“He even repeated it. That was when they started beating him,” the eyewitness said.
According to the locals, police officers tried to save Yunusa but were overpowered by the mob armed with stones, sticks and other dangerous things that they used on the victim until he died.