By Olusegun Olanrewaju, Deborah Onyofufeke, Oludamisi Ojo, and Israel Joel
Once again, Sokoto is brimming with the inferno of a religion-inspired madness. As a replica of what happened in 1995 when Gideon Akaluka was beheaded over alleged desecration of the Holy Quran, Deborah Samuel Yakubu, a 200-level student of Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto State was set ablaze to death by religious fundamentalists last Thursday.
She was buried yesterday in her hometown, Tunga Magajiya, in the Rijau Local Government Area of Niger State.
Following Deborah’s brutal death, Sokoto is on the boil, with several reverberating incidents trailing the gruesome murder.
In the wake of the incident, church services were suspended at the weekend in the historic city of Sokoto.
The umbrella Christian body in the country, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), directed all churches across the country and Christian stakeholders to embark on a peaceful nationwide protest over the lynching of Deborah.
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There was tension in many parts of the country at the weekend following protests by Muslim men who violently protested the arrest of alleged killers of the deceased.
Mayhem spread as the palace of the Sultan was touched by an irate mob protesting the arrest.
The protesters, who were demanding the immediate release of the suspects, destroyed some churches, shops, and other properties belonging to Christians.
A circular released on Saturday night by CAN’s General Secretary, Joseph Daramola, said the protest would be organised by churches across the country to demand justice for the deceased.
The circular directed Christians to hold placards with some succinct messages like “We demand justice for Deborah; ‘Christians are not second class citizens; ‘No more killing in God’s Name’; ‘Enough is enough; ‘Police, stop unprovoked killings in Nigeria.”
Also, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Kukah, at the weekend, said all masses in Sokoto metropolis had been suspended until the curfew imposed by the state government is lifted.
The 24-hour curfew was imposed after protests rocked parts of Sokoto city over the detention of two persons linked to the gruesome killing of Deborah.
In a statement, Kukah called for calm and commended Governor Aminu Tambuwal for acting promptly by declaring the curfew.
Kukah said during the protest, groups of youths aided by some adults in the background, attacked the Holy Family Catholic Cathedral, destroying Church glass windows, those of the Bishop Lawton Secretariat, and vandalised a community bus parked within the premises.
He, however, commended the security forces for promptly rising to the occasion to prevent further damage at our facilities, adding that no life was lost.
The bishop appealed to Christians to remain law-abiding and pray for the return of normalcy.
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Following the murder, there have been widespread reactions from across the board. The governors of northern states have condemned Deborah Samuel’s lynching and appealed for calm.
The Youth Wing of CAN vowed to ensure that any politician who did not condemn the killing of Deborah would not get its votes during the 2023 elections.
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The National Chairman of YOWICAN, Belusochukwu Enwere, issued the threat in a statement obtained by journalists in Abuja.
He said, “Today is the fourth day Miss Deborah Samuel was killed by Muslim extremist students who chose to take laws into their hands, and yet most of our Nigerian political class who are gunning to lead us as a country failed to condemn or to commiserate with the bereaved family.
“Even after killing Deborah, the miscreants continued to destroy people’s properties, burning church facilities and going from house to house intimidating peaceful Christians. Security agencies should do the needful before this becomes a religious war.
“This is nauseating and disheartening indeed. Any politician who failed to mourn with the nation, especially the Christians, in this sorrowful time should forget our votes in 2023. We will mobilise Christian youths across the nooks and crannies of the country to ensure that such persons are stopped because he or she will be a misrepresentation of the nation. Nigeria is a secular state, not a religious nation.
“We call on all Christian youths to continue to be peaceful and not take laws into their hands. God must surely fight to avenge the killing of Deborah. Her death will unearth the evil agenda of the wicked ones in Nigeria.”
•CAN warns against sending wards to schools in Sokoto
On its part, the northern wing of CAN, spanning the 19 northern states and the Abuja chapter, has directed Christian leaders in the country to terminate their participation in the activities of the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), until their counterparts of the Islamic faith show commitment to tame their followers on equal terms.
The organisation also called on every Christian parent across the country, especially in northern states, to discourage sending their children to any school in Sokoto State.
CAN said the directive on parents would continue, pending when the federal and state governments would be ready and willing to secure the lives of its children both in Sokoto and other states that had been hostile to Christians and Christianity.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of CAN (19 Northern States and Abuja), Chaplain Jechonia Gilbert, in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday entitled, ‘Deborah Samuel: No cover-up, assailants must face judgement’, warned those who kill to please their God to exercise restraint because “those tried it in Egypt and their experiences should be enough warning.”
“The Red Sea is awaiting them, even those who are secretly encouraging them must partake in the Red Sea experience,” CAN cursed.
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Gilbert condemned the killing of Deborah Samuel, describing it as, “gruesome and barbaric.”
He said, “While CAN does not and will not encourage casting aspersions on any religion or religious leader of any faith, CAN frown on hiding under the gab of any religious extremism to perpetrate any form of criminality against her members, especially in Northern Nigeria.
“God Almighty is not and can never be a weak God for mere mortals to fight and defend Him. On the contrary, it is He who keeps, watches, and defends us. CAN believe that life is sacred and must never be taken by another unless directed by the State.
“The CAN (19 Northern States and Abuja) is calling on the Federal Government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Sokoto State government under governor Aminu Tambuwal not to resort to the government’s usual rhetoric but must demonstrate political will and capacity to bring the perpetrators of this criminality to justice; otherwise, others may take a queue from this and turn our fatherland to a country of lawlessness at every slightest provocation.
“CAN believes that Nigeria is a country governed by the rule of law and order. Therefore, any act of lawlessness and criminality must not be swept under the carpet.
“CAN, 19 northern states, is calling on every Christian parent across the nation especially, Northern states to discourage sending their children to any school in Sokoto State, pending when the Federal and State governments are ready and willing to secure the lives of our children both in Sokoto and other states that are hostile to Christians and Christianity.
“We are urging all Christian leaders to terminate their participation in NIREC until their counterparts of Islamic faith show commitment to tame their followers on equal terms.
•Northern Governors Forum (NGF) appeals for calm
Condemning the murder in strong terms, the governors, under their umbrella, Northern Governors Forum (NGF) yesterday appealed for calm.
Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, in a statement by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Macham Makut and made available to newsmen in Jos, said the governors were concerned about the development “which is an extra-judicial measure of addressing perceived infraction.”
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According to Lalong, any attempt to adopt self-help in addressing grievances, whether religious or otherwise, will only lead to further chaos that could threaten law and order, as well as the general peace and security of the society.
Commiserating with the family of the victim, Lalong said the northern governors want the security agencies to be allowed to thoroughly investigate the matter and ensure that the law takes its full course on anyone found wanting.
The northern governors assured their Sokoto counterparts of their solidarity and prayers in dealing with the matter.
•Prophet Mohammed didn’t kill when insulted while alive, says Gumi
The Islamic world too has not been silent over the matter. An Islamic cleric, Sheik Ahmad Gumi, has joined the conversation of death for blasphemy, saying that the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (SAW), did not at any time kill anyone, even though he was insulted severally.
Reports say Gumi said this while conducting a religious teaching class in his Kaduna Juma’at mosque.
In a video clip obtained and translated by an online medium, PRNigeria, Gumi said the prophet’s refusal to avenge the insults non-Muslims were raining on him while he was alive, was because he did not want to be regarded or tagged a killer.
Commenting on Deborah’s lynching over alleged blasphemy, the Islamic cleric noted “Anyone who kills a non-Muslim who they have agreed to live peacefully with, will not smell the fragrance of paradise for 40 years.
“If we think by killing Deborah, people who are not of the same faith with us will stop insulting our prophet, then we are in delusion,” he concluded.
Also, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) strongly condemned the killing of Deborah over alleged blasphemy.
The Governing Council of the Commission, while reacting to the killing, said that there is no law, either secular or religious in a democratic society, anywhere in the world that justifies the killing of any person without due process of the law.
The Commission urged all persons to exercise tolerance over religious matters, tasking the relevant authorities, particularly the police to thoroughly investigate and prosecute the culprits.
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It stated that the consequence of inaction now by law enforcement agencies could lead to a recurrence shortly.
Similarly, a former presidential candidate and National Chairman of Nigeria for Democracy (NFD), Dr Asukwo Archibong, condemned the development.
“In condemning the murder of Ms. Deborah, we must make it clear that no one has the right to take the life of another for any reason. Islam, being a religion of peace, does not in any manner promote, condone, or encourage the killing of any human being by another,” he said.
In a statement, Archibong furthermore said, “The Constitution of Nigeria is the supreme law of the land and that is the law we all must and should look up to and obey as the law that guides our conduct and binds the fabric of our society.
“We demand that those who committed this murder to be prosecuted and sentenced accordingly under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Anything less than this will lead to further anarchy in our land.”
Also, the pastor in charge of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oluwadamilare, Aje quarters, Okeagbe-Akoko, Ondo State, Gabriel Agbaje, expressed sadness over the gruesome killing of Deborah because of comments made on social media.
The cleric decried the abuse of social media by youths in the country, stressing that it needed to be monitored and regulated.
He warned preachers of both faiths to desist from provocative and inciting words while preaching.
