An irate mob of Muslim youths went on a rampage in Dutse, the capital of Jigawa State, looting and setting ablaze 10 worship centres (churches), approximately 20 shops, and several Christian homes. The violence was sparked by an alleged blasphemous comment about Prophet Muhammad by a Christian woman named Jummai, a resident of Kaduna, who reportedly made the comment in reaction to a similarly irreverent statement about Jesus Christ by a Muslim man. As the state capital was thrown into turmoil, Christians and other non-indigenes fled to the Police Barracks to escape the rampaging youths. The destruction specifically included St Peter's Anglican Cathedral, which was burned to the ground, along with the Bishop's office and car port. Other targeted denominations included the Assemblies of God, three Evangelical Church of West Africa churches, and the Living Faith Church. Reports indicated that only about three out of approximately 15 churches in the town remained standing.
20 Sept 2006 · Dutse, Dutse, Jigawa
Deaths
0
Injured
6
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
6
Perpetrators
Muslim youths
Response
Police used teargas to disperse demonstrators, which prompted groups of youths to go on the rampage. The police appeared helpless in stopping the rampaging youths. A night‑time curfew was imposed on Dutse. The Sultan of Sokoto and spiritual head of Nigerian Muslims, Alhaji Muhammadu Maccido, decried the use of religion as a tool for violence. The North‑West Zone Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Joseph Hayab, also condemned the destruction as a "heinous crime in the name of religion"
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
The immediate trigger was an allegation of blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad by a Christian woman, which inflamed religious sentiments. The violence also occurred in the context of worldwide Muslim protests following Pope Benedict XVI's Regensburg address earlier in September 2006, in which he quoted criticism of Islam
Trajectory
This event was part of a broader pattern of religiously‑motivated riots that plagued northern Nigeria throughout the 2000s, often triggered by allegations of blasphemy. The targeting of churches—including a cathedral—was a common tactic to terrorise the Christian minority. The violence also demonstrated how a local dispute could be inflamed by international events (the Pope‘s speech), and how state governments often struggled to protect Christian communities, as police were slow to respond to calls for help.
Cycle notes
The 2006 Dutse riot directly echoed the 2000 Kaduna Sharia riots and the 2001 Kano church burnings, where similar blasphemy accusations led to mass destruction of Christian property. The attack on St Peter‘s Anglican Cathedral specifically mirrored the targeting of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) in the 2004 Yelwa massacre, where a church compound was used as a refuge before being attacked. This cycle of blasphemy allegation → mob violence → church burning → state curfew → impunity would continue, culminating in the 2022 Sokoto killing of Deborah Samuel. The difference here was that no lives were lost, which suggests either a more restrained mob or a more effective state response in preventing mass fatalities.
Pattern
Sectarian Arson
Related — Other
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