Angry mob drags man from police custody, sets him ablaze for blasphemy in Bauchi

A water vendor, Talle Mai Ruwa was reportedly set ablaze for allegedly blaspheming Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by angry mob at Sade village in the Darazo Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

The angry mob stormed a police station where the victim was, overwhelmed the policemen on duty and seized him from the cell after which they stoned and burnt him to death.

According to a source who spoke with a PUNCH correspondent in a telephone interview, the incident happened between Monday night and Tuesday morning.

He said, “The man and his parents are all Muslims in Sade village. A lady went to fetch water where the deceased sold water. She fetched the water while he was not around and when he came back and saw her, he used his leg to kick the bucket and the water spilled.

“She pleaded with him in the prophet’s name to allow her fetch the water. He then abused her, her father, mother and the Prophet Mohammed. This infuriated the youth and the district head, who took him to a police station.

“The spiritual and traditional leaders met and brought him out; they were looking for a way out of the situation. They asked him if he was guilty of what he was being accused of and he admitted to it. They asked him thrice and he admitted to it. They then took him back to the police station.

“In the morning, the whole town gathered and besieged the station. Because of the number of people that were there, they overwhelmed the policemen. The people brought him out and started pelting him with stones and shouting, ‘Allahu Akbar!’ They kept stoning him till he died. The youth brought car tyres and put it on him and set him ablaze.”

The PUNCH reports that several calls to the state Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakil, a Superintendent of Police, on Wednesday, were not picked and also did not reply to a message sent to his phone as of the time of filing this report.