25-Year-Old Nigerian Christian Student Killed, Body Burned By Classmates Over 'Blasphemous' WhatsApp Message

A 25-year-old Christian student in Nigeria’s Sokoto State was beaten to death Thursday by her classmates after they reportedly found what they considered to be a blasphemous message she sent to a school WhatsApp group.

According to the Christian watchdog organization International Christian Concern (ICC), the body of Deborah Emmanuel was also burned by students at the Shehu Shagari College of Education. Emmanuel recently got into an argument with female classmates after sending the message which was interpreted as blasphemous, ICC reports. Sadly, she pleaded with the attackers not to kill her.

A student from the school told ICC that “Muslim students and teachers don’t like Christians in the school. “It was reported that school authorities unsuccessfully tried to stop the Muslim students from killing Emmanuel. Additionally, Muslim students have blocked the road to the school and Emmanuel’s house, making it difficult for Christians to move around. The governor of the state requested that the school close in the wake of the tragic event, even though no arrests have been made.