A Christian high schooler was accused of drawing a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad in the school mosque. In ensuing riots, angry mobs killed 19 Christians and destroyed at least 9 churches. 60 were left injured and more than 500 displaced.
In September 2007, in a high school in northern Nigeria, a Christian student was accused of blasphemy: drawing a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad on the school mosque’s wall. When these accusations spread, mobs formed and began to riot. Throughout the locality, Christians were assaulted and killed and churches and homes attacked.
Although initial reports claimed that 10 Christians had died, subsequent investigations revealed the death toll was almost double that, 19. An estimated 60 were injured and more than 500 left displaced. “At least” nine churches suffered total destruction.
Reports on Inter-religious violence in Nigeria, particularly in the South - United States Department of State
International Religious Freedom Report 2008 : Nigeria - United States Department of State
Nigeria is a Muslim-majority country, though only narrowly, and nearly half of its inhabitants are Christians. The division between the two faiths manifests along geographical lines, with Muslims living mostly in the northern regions and Christians living mostly in the southern regions. Insults to religion in general are punishable for all citizens, while crimes more specific to Islam, including apostasy, are punished only in states that incorporate Islamic courts for their Muslim residents.