Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), known for its investigative reports on cases of persecution, said Christiana Oluwatoyin Oluwasesin was stoned, stripped, beaten and stabbed to death last year “after being falsely accused of desecrating a copy of the Quran while invigilating an exam.”
The March 21 attack by students and local people in Gombe State came to symbolize concerns over Islamic extremism in the region. CSW said it would organize the annual Day of Prayer Saturday 1 November at the Redeemed Christian Church of God in London.
The teacher’s husband, Michael Oluwafemi Oluwasesin was to speak about his experiences at CSW’s prayer event. “I am truly elated to be given the opportunity to tell the world my story, and pray that it will not only awaken people to the situation northern Nigeria continues to face, but also to take action to assist those whose lives are still in danger and who continue to undergo persecution and hardship,” he said in published remarks.
LONDON CONFERENCE
He will also take part in CSW’s Annual London Conference on persecution on November 8. “The case of Mrs Oluwasesin is not an isolated one, but is unique in that three men are currently standing trial for her murder,” CSW added.
At least 60,000 people, mostly non-Muslim, have died in religious violence in northern and central Nigeria since 1999, according to CSW and other estimates “The violence is organised and perpetrators are rarely if ever brought to trial,” CSW said.
CSW Advocacy Director Tina Lambert said: “We hope that his harrowing testimony will help to highlight the plight of those in central and northern Nigeria who continue to suffer injustice on account of their faith and will assist the efforts for a positive transformation in these parts of the country.”
