An angry mob has killed eight people after setting fire to a house in northern Nigeria belonging to a man who tried rescuing a Christian student accused of blasphemy.
The Zamfara police spokesman, Shehu Mohammed, confirmed the incident which took place on Monday in a town called Talata Mafara.
He explained that Muslim students from the village protested against a colleague who they accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad.
The accused was protected by a Muslim man who escorted the student to the police station. This act incurred the wrath of the mob who set fire to the Muslim man’s house killing eight of its occupants.
“The man who saved the student and his wife are not among the victims,” ​​Shehu Mohammed added.
Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari has described the act as barbaric and unacceptable, assuring that the law will take its course.
“Under my watch we will work to ensure that there is no place for violence in the name of religion, ethnicity, or in any guise whatsoever,” he added.
A dawn to sunset curfew has since been imposed in the town, while the technical school of the students has been closed.