Nigerian police have arrested some 12 people in connection with the gruesome killing of a schoolteacher after students said she desecrated Islam's religious text the Koran, local media reported on Thursday.
Oluwatoyin Oluwasesan had allegedly collected books from her students before they were to write an exam and tossed them outside of the classroom.
A copy of the Koran was apparently among the texts, sparking uproar by the pupils, Nigeria's This Day newspaper said.
"The school principal said before they knew what was happening, the students started shouting 'Allahu Akbar' (God is great). It was gathered that all efforts at controlling the rampaging students proved abortive," This Day reported.
Oluwasesan, a Christian, taught at the school on a contract basis and was assigned to watch over the students as they wrote the exam.
According to police, the students beat the teacher to death, although This Day said she and parts of the school were set on fire. Schools in the area, in the northeastern town of Gombe, were shut down to prevent any outbreak of violence.
Nigeria, a country split along Christian-Muslim lines, has seen thousands die in religious violence, with the slightest excuse flaring up tempers.
{{/usCountry}}Nigeria, a country split along Christian-Muslim lines, has seen thousands die in religious violence, with the slightest excuse flaring up tempers.
{{/usCountry}}