Sixteen suspects in the murder of a Christian secondary school teacher in the northern Nigerian state of Gombe, have been released without charge.
The decision has caused consternation in local Christian circles.
Married mother of two, Christiana Oluwatoyin Oluwasesin, was brutally murdered after a Muslim student falsely accused her of having torn a copy of the Quran. The student had been caught cheating in an exam at Gandu Government Day Secondary School.
Mrs Oluwasesin had confiscated a paper with Arabic inscriptions which the student had hidden in a book. Despite another teacher showing that the book was not the Quran and had not been torn, a mob of students attacked Mrs Oluwasesin. They were aided by residents from the surrounding area who had been drawn to the scene by the clamour. She was stoned, stripped, beaten, and stabbed to death, and her body was later burned beyond recognition.
Local observers believe the incident may have been pre-planned. Two weeks prior to her death Mrs. Oluwasesin was targeted by thugs whilst in the local town and had to be rescued by passers-by.
