Bishop Kukah condemns Killing Of Female Student In Sokoto for blasphemy, appeals for calm

Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Kukah, condemning the killing of a female student by Myslim extremists at the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, appealed to residents of the state to be calm. The Catholic Bishop was of the view that the killing has nothing to do with religion. According to Bishop Kukah, “this matter must be treated as a criminal act and the law must take its cause.”

Bishop Kukah in a statement in Sokoto, declared: “I have just received with deep shock the news of the tragedy that occurred in the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, leading to the gruesome murder of Ms. Deborah Yakubu, a 200 level Home Economics student today.

“We condemn this incident in the strongest terms and call on the authorities to investigate this tragedy and ensure that all the culprits are brought to book. “The only obligation that is owed her immediate family, her fellow students and the school authorities is the assurance that those who are guilty of this inhuman act, no matter their motivation, are punished according to our extant laws of the land. “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.

“Meanwhile, I wish to call on all Christians in Sokoto and around to remain calm and to please pray for the repose of the soul of Ms Deborah. It is the first obligation that we owe her. May God grant her eternal rest and console her immediate family.”

The police in Sokoto State had narrated that some Muslim students accused Deborah Samuel of making a social media post that blasphemed the holy prophet Muhammad (SAW). The students pulled the victim from the security custody of the school, killed and burnt her in the building.