Tambuwal meets security chiefs, Christian leaders over lynching of student accused of blasphemy

The Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, has met with Christian leaders and heads of security agencies in the state following the lynching of a student for allegedly making blasphemous comments.

The governor’s spokesman, Muhammad Bello, said in a statement that the governor cut his political engagements to return to Sokoto to meet the stakeholders.

The meeting was attended by the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Nuhu Iliya, and other officials of the association.

“Gov. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state cut short his engagements in Abuja, the nation’s capital following the killing of Miss Deborah Samuel, a student of the College of Education, Sokoto; and returned to Sokoto where he held a closed-door meeting with heads of security agencies in the state as well as the state Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Fr. Nuhu Iliya at the Government House,” Mr Bello said.

He didn’t provide details of the discussion, however.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that some students of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, on Thursday, lynched a female student, Deborah Samuel, over an allegation of blasphemy against the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad.

The deceased was stoned to death and later burnt by the angry mob, who are believed to be students of the college.

The college authorities immediately announced the closure of the school and ordered students to vacate the campus.

The police in the state later announced the arrest of two of the suspects.

In a statement, Sanusi Abubakar, the police public relations officer in the state, said other suspects caught in the viral video on Twitter “will soon be nailed too.”

Mr Abubakar said the students had “forcefully removed the victim from the security room where she was kept by the school authorities, killed her and burnt the building.”

He said the school had been closed down and police officers had been deployed to provide security at the school premises.

He added that the state commissioner of police, Kamaldeen Okunlola, appealed to residents to maintain peace and go about their lawful activities. He said the situation is under control.

The killing has also been condemned by religious and traditional leaders in Sokoto including the Sultanate Council and Catholic cleric Hassan Kukah.

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