Some residents of Sokoto are planning a protest in Sokoto State to demand the release of two persons arrested in connection to the killing of a female student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, identified as Deborah Samuel, for alleged blasphemy.
Recall that Deborah, a Christian youth and 200-level Home Economics student, was on Thursday violently stoned to death and later set ablaze by angry mob, who are mostly students of the college, for alleged blasphemy of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
Amid outrage by many Nigerians, the police in Sokoto said two suspects had been arrested and taken into custody.
According to the Sokoto police spokesman, Sanusi Abubakar, the mob overpowered campus security before killing the female student and setting her remains on fire.
Read Also: Alleged Blasphemy: Police Confirm Arrest Of Two Persons Over Killing Of Female Student In Sokoto
Abubakar had said;
Students forcefully removed the victim from the security room where the school authorities hid her, killed her and burnt the building. The students banded together with miscreants and barricaded the Sokoto/Jega road.
The PPRO added;
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.
However, in a notice circulating online, some residents of Sokoto agreed to meet at the Gawon Nama Roundabout by 9am.
Read Also: #JusticeForDeborah: Sultan, Bishop Kukah Condemn Gruesome Killing Of Student In Sokoto, Seek Justice
Two phone numbers were scribbled on the notice but the date of the meeting was not stated in the e-flyer written in Hausa.
The translated version of the notice read;
We are calling on Muslims in Sokoto State to gather where there was a riot to save brethren in Islam that are battling the faith of Islam and upholding the respect of prophet of Allah S.A.W.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Sokoto, Sanusi Abubabar, confirmed the brewing protest in a telephone interview with The PUNCH on Saturday.
“We are on top of the situation,” he told newsmen, adding that the police authorities in Sokoto are in talks with leaders of thoughts and opinion moulders in the state.
Many civil society groups and lawyers have condemned the murder of Deborah while some persons have defended the mob action.
Read Also: Deborah Samuel: Muslim Group Condemns Murder Over Alleged Blasphemy, Urges Inquest
Sokoto, a state in Nigeria’s North-West has a more Muslim population than Christians and there have been cases of sectarian strife and religion-triggered extrajudicial killings.
