A female Islamic teacher, Malama Ummulkhairi Usman, was beaten to death and set ablaze by a mob in the Mararrabar Jos, a community on the Kaduna-Zaria highway in Kaduna State after she was falsely accused of child abduction.
According to eyewitness accounts, Malama Ummulkhairi had gone from Sabon Garin Maraban Jos to the Old Maraba area to attend an Islamic lecture to be delivered by Malam Umar Yusuf Waliy at Madrasatul Tashiyhul Iman, run by Malama Mardiyya.
Unfamiliar with the location of the lecture, she was said to have asked some children for directions to the school. Some women at the scene however accused her of attempting to kidnap a child. The allegation quickly attracted a crowd of youths.
The teacher was taken to a nearby police station. Her husband’s representative and community elders arrived at the station and testified that she was a known Islamic teacher in the area and that there was no evidence to support the kidnapping claim.
Despite their intervention, the youths refused to disperse. Police officials later told relatives they had been ordered to release Malama Ummulkhairi from custody due to mounting tension and pressure from the crowd.
After her release, the mob attacked her in front of the police station and in full view of the public. Witnesses said the teacher and her relatives pleaded for mercy, but the youths ignored them. She was beaten, killed, and her body set on fire. The motorcycle belonging to Malam Umar Waliy was also burned with her.
Malam Umar lamented how the youths took the law into their hands over false allegation. “They said she attempted to steal children. The question is: where are the children she attempted to steal? This is really unfortunate and there should be justice.
Malama Ummulkhairi is survived by four children. Her husband, Aliyu Mohammed, said he saw her last in the morning after visiting her house. “She is my first wife. I didn’t sleep in her place the previous night. But I went to see her and the children in the morning before I went out.
“She told me of her plans to attend the lecture at Malama Mardiyya’s school. Before I left, I even gave the kids N10 each for them to buy sweets. I was still in town when I was called and informed that my attention was needed. I returned home to find her corpse still on fire.”
Mohammed said the authorities should help and do justice “in this case, because my wife was not an evil woman. I don’t have the power to do anything, but I want justice.”
The incident has sparked outrage over the rise of mob justice and “jungle justice” in parts of the country, with community members questioning how unverified accusations continue to lead to loss of life.
Community leaders and residents are calling for swift justice and for authorities to address the culture of mob violence. “May Allah forgive Malama Ummulkhairi, accept her martyrdom, and grant us patience over her loss,” relatives said.
