Christianah Oluwatoyin Oluwasesin
Christianah Oluwatoyin Oluwasesin (first name also given as Christiana, last name also as Oluwaseesin, Oluseesin or Olusesan), (Ekiti State, 1977 – Gandu, Gombe State, 21 March 2007), was a Christian Nigerian teacher who was lynched by Yan Kalare boys for allegedly desecrating and mutilating the Qur'an at a secondary school in Gandu, Gombe State, Nigeria, on March 21, 2007.[1][2]
Oluwasesin, a mother of two,[1] was assigned to supervise an Islamic religious knowledge exam. When one of the students wanted to enter the exam hall with his books, Oluwasesin collected them and threw them outside.[3] The students claimed that one of the books was a copy of the Qur'an.[4] This caught the attention of the popular thugs (Yan Kalare), who stabbed her to death. They then beat up the school principal, a Muslim, who luckily escape for offering refuge to her. They then burned down three classroom blocks, the school clinic, the administrative block and the library. [5] [6][7]
Reprisals
Christian's case nearly turned into a religious crises. Month's afterward, some Christian health personnel were arrested in Gombe State Specialist Hospital for using drugs and injections in killing 51 pregnant Muslim women. They were charged to court.
Gombe State Governor Mohammed Danjuma Goje ordered the immediate closure of all secondary schools in the state and the deployment of soldiers and policemen to strategic points in the state, especially churches.[8] Three people were arrested in connection with the murder. They were arraigned before the Federal High Court, Gombe, which had not yet delivered judgment on the matter in March 2008.[9]
References
- Obogo, Linus (2007-06-02). "Daddy, where is mummy?". Daily Sun (Lagos). The Sun Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 2008-02-29. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
- Christopher S. Grenda, Chris Beneke, David Nash (2014). Profane: Sacrilegious Expression in a Multicultural Age (Book collections on Project MUSE). University of California Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-520-2772-29.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- "The danger in shrieking silence". The Nation (Lagos). Vintage Press Limited. 2007-03-31. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
- Abati, Reuben (2007-03-25). "The gruesome murder of Oluwatoyin Olusesan". The Guardian (Lagos) via nigeriaworld.com. Vintage Press Limited. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
- Haruna, Mohammed (2007-04-04). "Olusesan's murder as a failure of Muslim leadership". The Nation (Nigeria). Vintage Press Limited. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
- Nwobu, Lawrence Chinedu (2007-03-28). "The Murder of Oluwatoyin Olusesan and the failings of the Nigerian press". Nigeriaworld.com. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
- Hamagam, Aliyu M. (2008-05-10). "Gombe:Rivalry keeps Yan Kalare alive". The Daily Trust (Abuja). Media Trust Nigeria, Limited. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
- Adaji, Ben (2007-04-09). "Killing In Allah's Name". The News (Lagos). Independent Communications Network Limited.
- Obasi, Sebastine (2008-03-28). "Keeping the Dream Alive". Newswatch Magazine (Lagos). Newswatch Communications Limited. Archived from the original on 2008-05-15. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
External links
- "Nigeria teacher dies 'over Koran'". BBC News. 2007-03-21. Retrieved 2008-07-21.