From Paul Orude Bauchi
Barely one week after Deborah Samuel was killed in Sokoto State over alleged blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad (SAW), another Christian lady, Rhoda Jatau, narrowly escaped being killed in Katanga, Warji Local Government Area of Bauchi State over the same allegation.
Rhoda is a 40-year-old female staff of the Medical Department, Warji Local Government.
Our correspondent gathered that Muslim youths mounted a search for Rhoda immediately after the Jummaat prayers on Friday, but could not find her.
It was alleged that on receiving information on the impending danger, she was whisked away to avert danger.
Enraged by not seeing her, the irate Muslim youths allegedly started destroying property belonging to Christians in the area.
A source disclosed that few buildings were set blaze and some Christians, including a pastor of ECWA church, were injured.
A leader of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the state confirmed the sad situation.
He said that the Commissioner of Police and the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Bala Mohammed on Christian Religious Affairs have been informed of the development.
He, however, called on the Christian community in the state to remain calm and not to allow the situation to degenerate.
The CAN leader said that they had to protect themselves from the attackers, assuring that security operatives would do everything possible to protect lives and property.
“We were at home Friday evening when we heard shouts from Muslim youths in their hundreds wanting to attack the ECWA church, but Christian youths and others resisted and repelled them, but after they had already set the shops attached to the Church on fire.
“In the process, one of the pastors of ECWA Church was seriously wounded, as l am speaking to you, efforts are on to save his life as blood is rushing from the wounds inflicted on him,” the source said.
Another source told our correspondent that it was one of the youths who recently got converted from Christianity to Islam that allegedly raised the alarm of the alleged blasphemy by the Christian lady and led other Muslim youths in search of her.
Meanwhile, the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, Umar Mamman Sanda, has ordered a thorough investigation into the crisis that erupted in the Warji Local Government Area.
The Public Relations Officer, Bauchi State Police Command, Ahmed Mohammed Wakil, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, said that last Friday at about 5:45 in the evening, some irate youths set six houses and seven shops ablaze.
He confirmed that scores were also injured as a result of an alleged blasphemous message posted on the social media by Rhoda Jatau, a 40-year-old female staff of the Medical Department, Warji Local Government.
He said: “The police have since deployed all tactical teams, mobile police force and Rapid Response Squad (RRS) whose joint efforts brought the situation under control.