Global rights group Amnesty International has expressed concern over the escalation of mob violence which, it said, emboldens impunity in Nigeria.
In a new report, the rights group said at least 555 victims of mob violence were recorded in Nigeria in the last decade
Amnesty International said the upsurge in blasphemy killings was fueled by alleged incitement of clerics.
The group said enforcement failures exacerbated the wave of mob violence in Nigeria as victims accused of theft, blasphemy, shoplifting and witchcraft are beaten, tortured and killed with impunity and suspected perpetrators almost always get away with it.
Amnesty International’s research detailed cases of victims of mob violence that include at least 13 women, six children, and two persons with actual or perceived mental health illnesses and/or psycho-social or intellectual disabilities.
Amnesty international further revealed that Cases of mob violence were documented in each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones with 82 recorded in the South-South, 43 in the South-East, 98 in the South-West, 42 in the North-Central, 100 in the North-West , and 26 in the North-East.
