In what is becoming a habit across Nigeria now, the youths, believed to be Muslims, set upon Mr Emeka and were planning to burn down his shop but for the intervention of the police. According to eyewitnesses, Mr Emeka would have been lynched but for the intervention of policemen from the Ketu Police Division who quickly brought the situation under control.
According to the eyewitness, Mr Emeka had written a blasphemous word on a magazine, which triggered the anger of the youths. As they youths mobilised to descend on his shop, the police quickly arrived on the scene and took Mr Emeka into protective custody to save his life.
"The issue could have led to a bloody fight between Christians and Muslims in Ketu but for the police. What happened was that the man wrote something on a magazine which the Hausa youths said was blasphemous.
When other Hausa men saw it, they became angry and seized him. Some of his friends tried to rescue him and that almost started a fight, so the police were alerted and they responded quickly and doused the rising tension," the eyewitness added.
Police spokeswoman Dolapo Badmos, said: “The Lagos State Police Command averted what could have been a religious crisis between the Igbo community and the Hausa Muslim community due to the timely intervention of its operatives. At about 9.05pm, the Ketu division received a distress call that a boy was about to be lynched by some youths because he wrote blasphemous words on their magazine.
“The boy was rescued and kept in protective custody, while his chemist shop was secured from destruction. Everywhere is calm as the police have intensified patrol in the area after successfully calming frayed nerves.”
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