No Convictions in 300 Blasphemy Killings as Government Shifts to ‘Hate Speech’
By Mary Kiara
(Sokoto) – Since 1999, mobs have executed at least 300 Nigerians for alleged blasphemy, including Christian student Deborah Emmanuel, whose murderers roam free and whose name the Nigerian media invented.
Deborah, a college student was stoned and murdered by a mob of her classmates at Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto on May 12, 2022.
For years, major Nigerian media outlets incorrectly identified her as “Deborah Samuel,” an error that went largely uncorrected until independent reporting verified her full identity through family members.
Some government owned media outlets even reported she was killed during protests over a strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). “This was a serious editorial error,” TVC News later apologized. The errors were not innocent; they erased her identity.
Four years later, Deborah’s murderers remain free, and so do the killers of at least 300 other Nigerians executed for alleged blasphemy, not one perpetrator has been convicted.
‘To Be Female and Christian Puts a Target on Your Back’
Dede Laugesen, CEO of Save the Persecuted Christians, told TruthNigeria that Deborah’s case illustrates Nigeria’s broader “war on women.”
“Deborah was chased down, brutalized and burned to death by an angry mob,” Laugesen said. “To be female and a Christian in Nigeria puts a target on your back,” she added.
“The world looks away. It has learned nothing but how to be silent in the wake of her death.”
Laugesen noted that Rhoda Jatau, a mother of five, was detained for 19 months for posting Deborah’s story to social media. She was eventually acquitted, two and a half years later.
Patricia Streeter, a global mission advocate and Co-leader, Anglican Persecuted Church Network, told TruthNigeria that sharia law in 12 northern states emboldens religious extremists.
“The Nigerian authorities are promoting a culture of impunity,” Streeter said.
“Perpetrators of extrajudicial killings barely face any consequences. In Deborah’s case, it’s especially disturbing that her stoning happened within an academic environment that symbolizes enlightenment,” Streeter added.
“If there is no protection for religious freedom even there, what hope is there for a free Nigeria?”
‘Documented Freedom, Not Practiced Freedom’
Rev. Joseph Hayab, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria for 19 northern states, told TruthNigeria that Christians now hide their identity to survive.
“Some Christians live in pretense, using names that make them unidentifiable as Christians,” Hayab said.
“What is practiced in Nigeria is documented freedom, not practiced freedom. Someone can just wake up and raise a false alarm accusing you of blasphemy, and mobs will come after you. You will not be protected.”
The Courts Failed, The Police Walked Away
Two suspects were arrested, but the police prosecutor failed to show up for multiple hearings. In January 2023, a magistrate struck out the case, ruling it “unjust to further adjourn” when the prosecution could not produce a single witness.
“I certainly suspect foul play on the side of the police,” Sunny Akanni, a lawyer and national coordinator of Olive Tree Citizen’s Rights Initiative, told journalists.
As of May 2026, there is no active police investigation or active court case. The perpetrators seen in the viral videos roam free.
Abuja’s New Front: Hate Speech
The Nigerian government has learned from Deborah’s case – but not to protect Christians. Instead, as the 2027 elections approach, officials use “hate speech” laws to achieve what sharia does: silence dissent.
The National Broadcasting Commission has warned media against airing “divisive” content.
Blasphemy’s secular face is called “national unity,” and the target remains the same.
Streeter warned that Christianity itself may not survive in Nigeria if the world continues to look away.
“Nigerian Christians are our family in the Lord, and they are facing genocidal persecution,” Streeter told TruthNigeria.
“Every day they know they may face Islamic terrorist violence any minute, even on a university campus. If we don’t pray and speak up for them, there is a grave risk that Christianity in Nigeria may not survive.”
Washington Has Not Forgotten – But Has Not Acted
“Her murderers remain free,” Jacob McGee, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the US Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, told a congressional hearing, defending Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern.
Sen. Ted Cruz has called Nigerian officials “complicit in facilitating these atrocities.” Rep. Riley Moore has demanded “forceful action.”
But four years after Deborah’s death, no American sanctions have been imposed. No Nigerian official has been held accountable.
The Unlearned Lesson
Deborah Emmanuel wanted to be a police officer, she led a church choir.
She created an abstinence group called the “Lydia Girls.” She had a fiancé at the police academy, the same unit that let her die.
“She didn’t die because she insulted anyone,” Asabe Sabitu, Deborah’s cousin told TruthNigeria. “She died because she was a Christian girl in a place where that is a crime.”
The world has learned nothing, and Abuja has learned to rename the weapon.
Deborah’s radiance haunts Nigeria, but the country’s leaders prefer to look away and silence those who refuse to do the same.
Mary Kiara reports on terrorism and religious freedom policy for TruthNigeria.
