Two of the students who masterminded the lynching and burning of Deborah Samuel, a female student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, over alleged blasphemy are under arrest just as the outrage over the “provocative” killing still mounts.
The Sokoto State government had responded over the lynching and burning of the female student by ordering the immediate closure of the College.
The State Commissioner for Information, Isa Bajini Galadanchi, at a press conference held at the Government House, ordered the immediate closure of the College, saying Governor Aminu Tambuwal had directed the State’s Ministry of Higher Education and relevant security agencies to investigate the matter.
However, the Police said two suspects had been arrested in connection with the killing while a manhunt had been launched for fleeing suspects.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the State, ASP Sanusi Abubakar, who disclosed this in a statement on Thursday said some students of the institution barricaded the Sokoto-Jega Road after the killing.
He said Policemen had been deployed in the area to “give tight security coverage”.
Meanwhile, the Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, has condemned the killing of the female student.
The monarch, in a statement by the Secretary of the Sultanate Council, called for the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators.
He urged all to remain calm and ensure peaceful co-existence among the people of the state and the nation.
Also, the Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah, who condemned the killing, said it had nothing to do with religion.
In a statement issued in Sokoto, Kukah said Muslims and Christians had lived together peacefully for a long time.
He described those behind 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