Nine killed in Zamfara religious crisis

Nine people were killed yesterday in Talata Mafara, Zamfara State in violence that broke out over an alleged insult against Prophet Muhammad by a Christian who is a student of Abud-Gusau Polytechnic Talata Mafara.

The Guardian learnt that the violence started within the polytechnic premises between an Hausa-Muslim and an Ebira Christian. The student allegedly insulted the prophet in his mother tongue (Ebira).

Trouble started when an Hausa student who understood Ebira language alerted other Muslims within the scene of the incident that the Christian had insulted Prophet Muhammad.

Thereafter, a group of students who felt aggrieved by the alleged insult, attacked the Christian student, who escaped being lynched when the college’s security personnel intervened. He was later rushed to the General Hospital, Talata Mafara for treatment.

When the Christian student was discharged from the hospital, some youths embarked on a search for him, during which they burnt the vehicle that conveyed him to the hospital.

Yesterday, the Muslim students and other rioters started burning tyres and some houses in the area where they suspected the accused person was being kept.

Eight students of the college were set ablaze in one of the houses that were burnt by the rioters, after they entered the house to search for the accused person.