By Paul Michael and Orowo Victoria Ojieh
Na t i o n a l anger from Sultan and PresidentGeneral of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III; Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, and others has trailed the gruesome murder of a student of Shehu Shagari College of Education (SSCOE) in Sokoto State, by religious zealots over alleged blasphemy.
Deborah Yakubu Samuel, who was a 200-level Home Economics student, was mauled, killed and burnt on Thursday by a mob that accused her of blasphemy on social media against Prophet Muhammad.
Videos showing how the student was stoned, beaten with sticks and subsequently set ablaze were circulated on social media. Reacting to the unfortunate incident, the Sultan of Sokoto in a statement by the Sultanate Council, condemned the actions of the mob and called on security agencies to immediately bring the murderers to book.
“The Sultanate Council has learned with dismay the unfortunate happenings at the Shehu Shagari College of Education, (SSCOE) Sokoto that led to the loss of life of a female student of the Institution. “The Sultanate Council condemned the incident in its totality and has urged the security agencies to bring perpetrators of the unjustifiable incident to justice.
“The Sultanate Council has urged all to remain calm and ensure peaceful co-existence among all people of the state and nation,” the statement said. Father Kukah in a statement described the actions of the mob as criminal and tasked authorities at all levels to fish out the perpetrators and ensure justice is served on the matter. In a statement titled ‘Murder of Ms Deborah Yakubu,” the revered cleric said the perpetrators no matter their motive must be punished.
He said: “We condemn this incident in the strongest terms and call on the authorities to investigate this tragedy and ensure that all the culprits are brought to book.
“The only obligation that is owed her immediate family, her fellow students, and the school authorities is the assurance that those who are guilty of this inhuman act, no matter their motivation, are punished according to the extant laws of our land. “This has nothing to do with religion. Christians have lived peacefully with their Muslim brothers here in Sokoto over the years.
“This matter must be treated as a criminal act and the law must take its cause,” the statement said partly.” Governor of Sokoto, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, announced the immediate closure of the institution while directing the Ministry of Education in the State and the Police to immediately investigate the cause of the incident.
This was contained in a statement signed by the State’s Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Isah Bajini Galadanci.
The statement reads: “It has come to the notice of the Sokoto State Government, the unfortunate incident that took place at the Shehu Shagari College of Education (SSCOE), Sokoto, in which a student of the college lost her life. “The government has ordered the immediate closure of the college. “Already, the State Governor, Rt. Honourable Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has directed the Ministry of Higher Education, and relevant security agencies in the state to commence investigations into the remote and immediate causes of the incident and report back to the government.”
However, the police in Sokoto said two suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder of the student. A
statement by Sanusi Abubakar, spokesman of the Sokoto Police Command, said operatives have been deployed to the area.
“At about 0900hrs, a distress call was received from Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, stating that students were rioting over one female student named Deborah Samuel, a level two student, who was accused of making a social media post that blasphemed the holy prophet Muhammad (SAW).
“Students forcefully removed the victim from the security room where she was hidden by the school authorities, killed her, and burnt the building.
“The students banded together with miscreants and barricaded the Sokoto/ Jega road.
“Upon receiving the information, the DC Operations led a team of policemen and all other operational commanders in the state to the school where the road was cleared and the situation was brought under control. “Two students were arrested in connection with the crime committed.
“The school has been closed down by the school authority, and policemen were deployed to give tight security coverage.
“The Commissioner of Police, Sokoto State Command, CP Kamaldeen Kola Okunlola fdc, mnim, is appealing to members of the public to go about their lawful activities and should not panic as the situation is under control. “Meanwhile, the suspects in the viral video on Twitter were spotted and will be nailed soon.”
Following the ugly incident, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has called for the relocation of the 2022 Annual Summit of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) scheduled to hold in Sokoto State from the 22nd to 26th of May, 2022. According to learned silk, the murder of the female student is barbaric and lawyers must not be seen to converge on her grave.
He wrote: “I humbly urge NBA-SPIDEL not to hold any meeting or conference in the State where a Nigerian citizen has been brutally murdered and burnt to death. “It is barbaric and lawyers should not be seen to be dancing on her grave in that State.
“We should make a statement to the government by cancelling the Conference and hold it in a neighbouring State in the North.” Meanwhile, NeoBlack Movement (NBM) of Africa has strongly condemned the “inhuman and unwarranted” slaying of Miss Deborah Yakubu Samuel.
NBM noted that the barbaric act has needlessly raised religious tension in the country. The lynching of Deborah is unacceptable; despite her alleged flaws, NBM stressed It added: “NBM of Africa as a Pan- African organization driven by a passion for humanity is saddened and shocked over the gruesome act of religious intolerance at Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto State, Nigeria,” according to a statement by the movement’s spokesman, Mr. Oluwatosin Dixon.
“NBM is a non-religious organization; a home to members from all religions. It has overtime stressed the need for African people and humanity in general to foster religious tolerance, accommodate the disparities among faiths and exhort religions to unity and full freedom of Africa as our home and humanity as our family “NBM of Africa believes that Islam is a religion of peace and has over the years lauded the peaceful endeavours of wellmeaning Muslims. It is really saddening that some individuals will engage in such act under the guise of religion.
“NBM of Africa believes that everyone is interrelated and as such we are brothers and sisters. We, therefore, need to grow our bond as a family and not destroy it. NBM of Africa condoles with the families of the deceased and pray that she rests in peace. We also reiterate that Humanity is our watchword and we will relentless walk this path.”
“We also implore the the law enforcement agents to bring the perpetrators of this devilish act to face the wrath of the law.”
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday finally reacted to the gruesome murder of Miss Deborah Samuel, a second year Home Economics student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto by fundamentalists on Thursday.
Though Buhari condemned the killing, he nonetheless urged religious and community leaders to call citizens’ attention to the need to exercise the right to freedom of speech responsibly. Buhari reacted through a series of tweets titled: State House Press Release: President Buhari reacts to Sokoto Killing linked to alleged blasphemy, says violence does not solve problems.”
The statement which came through the official Federal Government Twitter handle, Presidency Nigeria @NGRPresident, reads: “President @ MBuhari strongly condemns the resort to selfhelp by the mob in sokoto, resulting in violence, destruction and killing of a second year student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, Deborah Samuel.
“President Buhari said the news of the killing of the young lady by fellow students was a matter of concern and demanded an impartial, extensive probe into all that happened before and during the incident. “The President noted that Muslims all over the world demand respect for the Holy Prophets, incl Isah (Alaihissalaam, Jesus Christ) & Muhammad (SAW) but where transgressions occur, as alleged to be the case in this instance, the law does not allow anyone take matters into their hands.
“Moreover, religious leaders preach that it is not for the believer to judge the actions of another person.
The constituted authority must be allowed to deal with such matters when they arise.
“No person has the right to take the law in his or her own hands in this country. Violence has and never will solve any problem,” said the President.
Buhari also directed the Ministries of Information and Culture, Police Affairs and that of Communications and Digital Economy to work with GSM providers and Tech companies to help contain the spread of false and inflammatory information through social media.
“The President extended the nation’s condolences to the family of the deceased student and wished all those injured a quick recovery.
He commended the immediate response to the incident by the Sokoto State Government and urged religious and community leaders to call citizens’ attention to the need to exercise the right to freedom of speech responsibly,” the statement further read.
“President Buhari called for tempered comments by the media and calm among the general population while investigation is ongoing to find out the remote and immediate causes of the incident.”
Bishop Korie said such Presidential aspirants that refused to condemn the action of the mob should not be entrusted with the affairs of the nation.
Chairman of the Southern branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and National Vice President, South-East Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Maxwell Korie, has urged voters to shun presidential aspirants who have “cowardly” refused to make statements condemning the killing of Deborah Samuel.
As at the time of filing this report, former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim is the only one of all the 2023 presidential aspirants that has publicly condemned the gruesome murder of the 200-level student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education. In a statement he personally signed earlier in the day, Senator Anyim decried the killing of Miss Deborah Yakubu as cruel, illegal, callous and inhuman.
The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and frontline presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) insisted that “there is no place in a modern Democracy such as Nigeria for jungle justice and killing of human beings illegally.”
According to Anyim, “Miss Deborah Yakubu deserved to have been put through the full process of the law which has adequate punishment for all offences including the one she was accused of. We cannot afford now to add religious intolerance to the plethora of problems bedeviling our country.”
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had earlier condemned the killing of the Christian female student and even commiserated with her family, only to delete the message on all his social media handles in what appears to be an attempt not to offend extremists.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello and other presidential hopefuls have kept sealed lips despite the outrage that greeted the murder of the female student. Bishop Korie, during a one-day Minister’s Conference in Ebonyi, said such Presidential aspirants that refused to condemn the action of the mob should not be entrusted with the affairs of the nation.
Bishop Korie said: “We are keeping track of the responses of the Presidential candidates. If any of them is such a coward, that he refuses to make an appropriate statement about this, we now know that we should not entrust the affairs of the country into such a hand.” Bishop Korie added: “To the Federal Government, we are saying that we don’t just want to hear statements of condemnations about what has happened, we want to hear statements of definite actions of the federal government to bring justice over this matter.
“All the people involved must be given the appropriate punishment according to the laws of the land. It is a case of wicked murder. It’s not manslaughter.
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“They moved against her with a deliberate intention to get her eliminated. So it is not a case of manslaughter,” he said. Bishop Korie said the Christian body would work against any move by either the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or the All Progressives Congress (APC) to field Moslem, Moslem candidate in the 2023 presidential election.
“As we prepare for election in 2023, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, which is the umbrella Association for all Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches in Nigeria is making an emphatic statement that any political party that fields Moslem-Moslem candidates for the presidential election, we will work against their candidate succeeding.
“That is, by withholding our votes from them and in order to punish them for such plunder, we will make sure that all their candidates from the State House of Assembly upwards will lose our votes.
“If you dare it, our reactions begin from the State House of Assembly election. “We are calling on all well-meaning Nigerians, including Moslems who have a sense of equity, justice and fairness to fall in line with us to ensure that this absurdity is not associated with any of the two major political parties in Nigeria, APC and PDP,” the PFN leader added.
