.Buhari Condemns Killing, Orders Probe
.Nigerians, Groups, Tambuwal, Sultan, NGF React
.CAN Slate Christian Protest, May 22

From Daniel Amasingha, Minna

The tenuous thread of religious harmony in the northern part of the country, notorious for religious upheaval snapped last Thursday as a lynch mob of students of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, took the law into their hands and attacked a young 200 Level female student, Deborah Yakubu Samuel to stupor and incinerated her alive within the school.

Preliminary investigations showed that the victim’s only offence was a voice note she sent to her class Whatsapp Group, cautioning on posting religious matters, adding that “Holy Ghost fire will shield her.
Her male Muslim classmates curiously interpreted this as offensive against Prophet Mohammed and took her life in the manner they did. Her assailants went ahead and broadcast a video of the stoning incident and bonfire of her on the internet.
The school management responded by shutting down the school indefinitely and in a statement, told the public that the only thing that happened was a students’ rampage.

“Following today’s early morning students rampage in the college, the college management has resolved to close down the college indefinitely with immediate effect.
“Consequently, all students are hereby directed to vacate the college campus immediately.”
But the Sultanate, headed by Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar,  condemned the barbarity in no unclear terms and urged the security agencies to bring the perpetrators to justice, urging all to remain calm and ensure peaceful co-existence among all the people of the state and nation.
Despite the fact that the murder drew flaks from a wide range of well-meaning Nigerians, Muslim youths in Sokoto who felt the barbarism was right troop into the streets on Friday in rampage against the arrest of two among Deborah’s killers.
They took umbrage against the respected Sultan for not taking side with the murderers and in their anger made efforts to breach his personal security. They extended same to any church building they site but in all were all repelled by security agents, led by the state Commissioner of Police, Kamalden Okunlola. However, they  successfully invaded an ECWA church at Aliyu Jodi, a section of Catholic Clinic opposite Vision FM, along Bye pass. They invaded the residence of Bishop Matthew Kukah, Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese with intent for an attack, but the swift arrival of security agencies at his residence saved both his residence and the church cathedral. 

The state governor, who had earlier condemned the senseless murder, warned the perpetrators and called for calm, reinforced his position on Saturday with a 24-hour curfew and by the following say, postponed the resumption of schools in the state by a week.

As anger raged, President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday strongly condemned the Deborah’s murder and the violence by Sokoto mob. He said the gruesome killing was a matter for concern and asked for an impartial, extensive probe into all that happened before and during the incident. Adding that no one had the right to take the life of another.

The President in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu “noted that Muslims all over the world demand respect for the Holy Prophets, including Isah (Alaihissalaam, Jesus Christ) and Muhammad (SAW).
“But where transgressions occur, as alleged to be the case in this instance, the law does not allow anyone to 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.

He also directed the ministries of Information and Culture, Police Affairs, and 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 and extended his 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 president further  called for tampered comments by the media and calm among the general population while the investigation is ongoing to find out the remote and immediate causes of the incident.

On their part, Northern Governors Forum weighed in with a call for calm. The chairman of the forum and governor of Plateau, Mr Simon Lalong, made the appeal in a statement conveyed by his spokesperson, Dr Makut Macham in Jos.
According to them, “The governors are concerned about the development which is clearly an extra-judicial measure of addressing perceived infraction.
“The northern governors appeal for calm following reports of the hijack of a peaceful protest which later turned violent and led to the imposition of a curfew in Sokoto metropolis,”.
The governors noted that any attempt to adopt self-help in addressing grievances whether religious or otherwise, could lead to further chaos.
The forum commiserated with the family of the victim and appealed that security agencies be allowed to thoroughly investigate the matter.
It commending the proactive measures Governor Tambuwal adopted to restore normalcy in the State.
The governors assured him of their solidarity and prayers in dealing with the matter, noting that they would ensure the adoption of necessary measures to forestall recurrence in any part of the region and nation at large.
The forum also stressed the need for people from the northern part of the country and Nigerians to show love, tolerance and respect for one another irrespective of faith, ethnicity or other affiliations. 

At individual state level, Kano Assembly postpones resumption by three weeks.
This is contained in a statement in Kano, on Sunday by Uba Abdullahi, the Director of Press of the Assembly.
According to Abdullahi, Speaker of the Assembly, Hamisu Ibrahim-Chidari, announced the postponement via a statement.
Ibrahim-Chidari said the House was now expected to resume plenary and normal legislative activities on June 6.
Though no reason was adduced but it is widely believed not to be unconnected with tension and security breaches in the region following Deborah’s murder.
In Kaduna, the state governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai swiftly banned religious protest in the state. While the state is a hotbed for sectarian crisis, the Kaduna State Security Council which declared the ban said it was to ensure security of lives and property in the state.

The statement signed by the state commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said the ban was with immediate effect, geared to check the move by “some unpatriotic elements to organize series of for-and-against protests related to security in Sokoto State, following the lynching of a student for alleged blasphemy.”

According to him, “Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, who has been briefed of the development, has charged security agencies to ensure strict enforcement of this ban against any form of religious protest in the State.

“The Governor also charged religious leaders, community leaders and traditional rulers throughout the State to complement the efforts of government and security agencies towards the maintenance of peace and stability,” the statement added.

Mr Aruwan said security agencies in the state would stop any attempt to disrupt the peace in the state. He also said violators would be prosecuted accordingly.

“Citizens are implored to remain calm as they go about their lawful pursuits, and to immediately report any such activity or security concern to the Kaduna State Security Operations Room, on 09034000060 and 08170189999,” Mr Aruwan said in the statement.

Meanwhile, a gutted Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has set aside May 22, 2022 for a nationwide protest over the gruesome murder to Miss Deborah.

The Christian association in a statement by its General Secretary, Joseph Daramola, on Saturday, said that the protest will take place within church premises at 3pm to avoid further losses.
CAN called on all Nigerians Christians to join the protest by using all the nation’s embassies all over the world for the peaceful protest.

He said that the protest would also be used to call to an end to the murders carried out in the name of fighting for God and to pray for the family and friends of the late Deborah, the country, godly political leaders in the next election.

The statement reads,  “I have been directed by the CAN President, His Eminence, Rev. Dr Samson Olasupo A. Ayokunle, to request all church leaders, through your various churches to organise a peaceful protest in honour of one of our daughter, Deborah Yakubu, who was gruesomely murdered on Thursday, May 12, 2022, at the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto in Sokoto State by some Islamic extremists.
“The protest will take place on May 22, 2022, in the afternoon by 3:00 pm in every secretariat of the Christian Association of Nigeria nationwide and not on the streets in order to avoid further loss of lives.
“Those without CAN’s Secretariat may use any church with big premises. We are to hold placards with some succinct messages like: ‘WE DEMAND JUSTICE 4 DEBORAH’, ‘NO MORE KILLING IN GOD’S NAME’, ‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’, ‘POLICE, STOP UNPROVOKED KILLINGS IN NIGERIA’, ‘CHRISTIANS ARE NOT SECOND CLASS CITIZENS’, ‘KILLERS OF DEBORAH MUST BE PROSECUTED’, ‘WE CONDEMN RELIGIOUS KILLINGS’, ‘WE SAY NO TO ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS’.
“We urge those who could afford it to make use of the traditional media and the social media and others can use only the social media to give it wide coverage in order to sensitise the whole world. 
“We also call on Nigerian Christians in the diaspora to join us using our embassies all over the world. 
“The occasion can also be used to pray for Deborah’s family and friends, peace for the country, victory for the Church and godly political leaders in the coming general election.”

Her remains were said to have been buried on Saturday at her hometown, Tungar Magajiya, Rijau Local Government of Niger by her family.