A young vigilante, identified simply as Odaru, was killed on Saturday, June 4 by an angry mob for alleged blasphemy against the Prophet of Islam.
Odaru, who hails from Nasarawa State was attacked as he returned to the office of the Vigilante Group at the Timber shade, on Saturday afternoon, a business settlement in the Federal Housing Area of Lugbe, Abuja.
He was accused of blaspheming the Islamic Prophet in his insistence to compel all businesses to close for the 12-midnight deadline on Friday.
Eyewitnesses said he had blasphemed the Prophet last night while he wanted to arrest the suya seller whom he asked to close shop for the night but insisted on making further sales into the morning.
The altercation led him to alleged blasphemy against the prophet when he said “even if you were here with the prophet, I will still arrest you because we are governed by laws”.
A member of the Vigilante group, who would not want to be mentioned said Odaru, did not blaspheme the prophet, as he only said to the suya man that we are governed by laws and if you are standing here with the prophet, he, Odaru would arrest the Mai suya for late sales in the market.
A motorcycle rider, Ibrahim said the mob judgement was in line with the Quranic instruction, that whenever a person blasphemes the Prophet, instant and painful death must be administered without delay.
Another motorcycle rider, who identified himself as Tasiu told the Nigerian Tribune, that the action was right so long as witnesses said they heard him speak against the Prophet.
The chairman of the market association declined to comment on the matter, as he maintained that he was not an eyewitness to the act of blasphemy, and he is not competent to speak on the matter.
It was gathered that Odaru was known to be a notorious vigilante, who was feared by many and described to be strict on issues of vigilante operations, according to The Tribune.
Many traders despise him, according to a market trader, because of his insistence on following the vigilante’s regulations. This, he concluded, must have caused him to step on a lot of people’s toes, and the chance for them to vent their rage presented itself.
Around 1 p.m at the market, traders were observed sitting about their stalls, while others were gathered together in hushed tones discussing the situation.
Armed security personnel were seen patrolling the neighborhood, and members of the vigilante seized the gun of the dead member from the ashes where the supposed blasphemer had been burned.
The presence of security forces, according to our correspondent who was monitoring the scene outside the Timber Shade, eased the tense situation that was building up and prevented looters from taking advantage of the demonstration to attack shops.
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