Man Dragged From Police custody, Burnt To Ashes Over Blasphemy In Bauchi

Man Dragged From Police custody, Burnt To Ashes Over Blasphemy In Bauchi

A middle aged water vendor, Talle Mai Ruwa, has been set ablaze by angry youths for alleged blasphemy against Prophet Mohammed in Sade village of Darazo Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

It was gathered that the deceased, who was taken to police post in the village on Monday after his alleged blasphemous act, was forcefully taken away from the outpost by a mob on Tuesday and lynched in broad daylight.

Mai Ruwa, who was said to be mentally deranged, was said to have blasphemed Prophet Mohammed on Monday when a girl came to fetch water from his borehole without his consent, an act which was said to have infuriated him and kicked her bucket.

According to a source in the village who narrated what happened to journalists, the girl begged the deceased in the name of God and the Prophet to allow her to fetch the water but he got so angry to the extent that he allegedly insulted her parents and the Prophet.

This alleged blasphemy, it was learnt, made temper to raise among the villagers, leading to tension in the village.

“The high tension in the village on Monday made the village head to take him to the police outpost station in the village where he spent the night.

“By the next morning, the issue spread everywhere and everyone in the village was provoked. Later, a group of angry youths stormed the police outpost, subdued the police officers around and grabbed Talle. He was beaten to death and his dead body was burnt,” the source said.

Another villager stated that the irate youths after beating Mai Ruwa to death, dragged his lifeless body round the village, after which they set the remains on fire and burnt the body to ashes before his aged mother.

The State’s police command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Ahmed Wakil, is yet to react to the incident as at the time of filing this report.