The brutal killing of Deborah Samuel, a female student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, over alleged blasphemy has received widespread reactions.
The Informant247 had gathered that the 200 level student was reported to have dropped what was considered the blasphemous comment in a student’s WhatsApp platform.
It was reported that a person dropped a religious post in the social media group, and Deborah allegedly met the person’s action with a blasphemous statement directed at Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
Another account said the blasphemous comment was made while quarreling with a fellow student in the hostel.
The source said, “She was asked to apologise but refused. This heightened tension in the school. The college security men intervened by whisking her to their office but they were overpowered by the students who later killed her and set her body ablaze.”
The Sokoto State government reacting to the incident, ordered the immediate closure of the college.
The Commissioner for Information, Isa Bajini Galadanchi, via a press conference held at the government house, ordered the immediate closure of the school.
He however said that the State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal had directed the state’s Ministry of Higher Education and relevant security bodies to commence investigation on the matter.
The police has reportedly apprehended two suspects connected to the killing, while security search to get fleeing suspects is ongoing.
The police spokesperson in the state, ASP Sanusi Abubakar, revealed via a statement yesterday, that some students of the college blocked the Sokoto-Jega Road after the killing.
He said men of the police had been sent to the area to “give tight security coverage”.
Report has it that there were heavily armed security operatives moving about the institution premises and students coming out with their luggages.
The Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, has also condemned the killing of the female student.
The monarch, via a statement released by the secretary of the Council, has called for the apprehension and prosecution of the perpetrators.
He however persuaded all to remain reliably calm and give room for peaceful coexistence in the state and the country.
The Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah, who also condemned the killing, said that the killing and its surrounding events should not be attached to religion.
In a statement released in Sokoto, Kukah said Muslims and Christians had continued to live peacefully for a long time, without rancour.
He however described the perpetrators of the barbaric act as criminals.
“This has nothing to do with Religion. Christians have lived peacefully with their Muslim neighbours here in Sokoto over the years. This matter must be treated as a criminal act and the law must take its cause,” he said.