Exactly one year ago, on May 12, 2022, Deborah Emmanuel, a female student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto State was killed by Islamic extremists over blasphemy allegations against Prophet Mohammed.

The 200-level student was set ablaze after she reportedly advised her classmates against posting religious contents on their WhatsApp group which was created for academic purposes.

A motion picture of the student being stoned and beaten with sticks by her Muslim school-mates before setting her ablaze, was shared widely on all social media platforms.

A few days after the unfortunate incident that relatively set the country on fire, the Sokoto State Police Command announced the arrest of two suspects in connection to Deborah’s murder.

The suspected murderers, Bilyaminu Aliyu and Aminu Hukunci were on May 16 docked at a Sokoto Chief Magistrate’s Court for their alleged participation in the crime.

A total number of thirty-four lawyers led by Professor Mansur Ibrahim, allegedly sponsored by some public figures, stormed the court to defend the suspected killers.

DAILY POST recalls that the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Sanusi Abubakar, in a statement on August 28, revealed that those arrested were not the prime suspects, saying that they were only among those who organised the riot.

He then vowed that the command would unearth all the suspected killers upon completion of investigation.

However, one year after the incident, the prime suspect who was boasting in the video of how he led the mob to lynch the innocent girl, is still at large.

A Catholic Priest, Fr Kelvin Ugwu in a post on his official Facebook page on Thursday, asked the state governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigeria Police Force to tell Nigerians what happened to the suspects.

He wrote, “I am asking the Governor of Sokoto, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, please sir, where are the killers of Deborah? Have you found them? Where did you keep them? What did you do to them?

“I am asking President Muhammadu Buhari, where are the killers? Are they invisible? Have they been arrested?

“And to the Nigeria Police Force, what has happened to the swiftness you normally employ in arresting people who make posts on social media you consider inciting and divisive? What did you do to the killers of Ms Deborah? Where are the killers?”

This is coming amid allegations that even the two suspects who were in May 2022, remanded in the Sokoto Correctional Centre may have been freed.

An On Air Personality, Mr Joseph Adejor also told our correspondent yesterday that “there may be something fishy about how the case died silently.”

“The question is, have they been able to arrest the prime suspect? After the incident, there were reports that the murderer fled to Niger Republic, have they traced him to that country?

“Like my friend always says, Nigeria is just a joke. A human being was burnt to death and nothing happened to the suspects. You remember how a popular politician condemned the incident and later deleted the post. I doubt if those two suspects that they managed to arrest were not freed later”, he lamented.

However, the Spokesperson of the Sokoto Police Command, DSP Sanusi Abubakar told DAILY POST on Thursday that the command had played its part by charging the suspects to court.

He said, “The police as an institution, when we charge a case to the court, it is left for the judge to determine whether the suspect is found guilty or not.

“Our duty as police agency is to conduct investigation, and charge the suspect to court. It is now in the hands of the court to determine the end. We as a police, we have played our part. It is now left for the judiciary to do the necessary”.

Asked to clarify the allegations that some of the suspects were freed, the PPRO said, “If there is any allegation that the suspects have been freed, I think only the judiciary is in the position to answer that”.

-"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." -Desmond Tutu.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."( Martin Luther King Jr.)

"....Those who gave up their liberty for their safety doesnt deserves neither their liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

thesicilian:
Demand ke? Nigerians that have long forgotten about what happened last month self

The suspected murderers, Bilyaminu Aliyu and Aminu Hukunci were on May 16 docked at a Sokoto Chief Magistrate’s Court for their alleged participation in the crime. A total number of thirty-four lawyers led by Professor Mansur Ibrahim, allegedly sponsored by some public figures, stormed the court to defend the suspected killers.

However, one year after the incident, the prime suspect who was boasting in the video of how he led the mob to lynch the innocent girl, is still at large.

Westerhoffe:
Nigerians did not forget just as the internet never forgets. But would anyone had taken the law into their hands and the same government won't run after them? One day will come I know, when the table will turn, and it will be devastating.

Westerhoffe:


Nigerians did not forget just as the internet never forgets.
But would anyone had taken the law into their hands and the same government won't run after them?

One day will come I know, when the table will turn, and it will be devastating.

thesicilian:

That day may never come. In real life, bad people get away with evil all the time

richmond500:
So one year don waka like this? RIP to her.

In this Nigeria, let us learn from Deborah's case. When you are in Rome, behave like the Romans.
If you are from the south and you go to the north, please know how to talk so you don't get killed, also if u are from the north and you go to the south, especially the SE, please learn to behave yourself.
Don't even say anything about BH, FH or IPOB.
That thing you will do in ur state and you feel is nothing might get you killed elsewhere.
The Mohammed and Obi weh u deh insult probably no know u and they won't be there when u are being burnt and ur flesh eaten.

If you like insult me, that is not my business.
If you get killed, na RIP I go type and we mueve

MasterJayJay:
Owo massacre by jihadists was because the Christians in south west insulted Mohammed? Clap for yourself!
You can't hide your hatred by putting Peter Obi and the notorious Mohammed in same category.

richmond500:
you should read my last paragraph, I and all NLders will type RIP

MasterJayJay:
Dead people don't type RIP.

richmond500:
I never said you will type RIP

MasterJayJay:
RIP

I can type it.

thesicilian:
Demand ke? Nigerians that have long forgotten about what happened last month self

richmond500:
So one year don waka like this? RIP to her.

In this Nigeria, let us learn from Deborah's case. When you are in Rome, behave like the Romans.
If you are from the south and you go to the north, please know how to talk so you don't get killed, also if u are from the north and you go to the south, especially the SE, please learn to behave yourself.
Don't even say anything about BH, FH or IPOB.
That thing you will do in ur state and you feel is nothing might get you killed elsewhere.
The Mohammed and Obi weh u deh insult probably no know u and they won't be there when u are being burnt and ur flesh eaten.

If you like insult me, that is not my business.
If you get killed, na RIP I go type and we mueve

DMerciful:
Don't justify that babaric act by comments like this, it encourages those savages.

Deborah is from the North, she's an indigene! The fact that she's a Christian does not remove her indigenous status!

richmond500:
All I am saying is that, you can't control how people behave towards tribe and religion.
Even Nairaland that ban people, yet their is tribalism.
I am only saying, we should know how to behave and talk so we don't fall victim to those mobs

DMerciful:
You have to accept that she's an indigenous northerner so saying she should behave like the Romans when in Rome is uncalled for.

They have no right to kill her, there's no evidence that her comments wasnt exaggerated. As a citizen, she has the right to life and fair hearing.

We must not justify jungle justice under any condition. Common, she was stoned and burned to death. What are you talking about?

richmond500:
How u twist my comment was surprising.

This is Nigeria, there are many people that will kill you at the slightest provocation, especially when it comes to religious or tribal affairs.
I am not justifying their actions but as long as they have no interest to change the way they reason, then it's better you save urself from their unruly behaviour.

If you are not a Muslim, no need criticizing the Mohammed. You won't win a medal for criticizing Islam, Christian, Fulani, Yoruba or Igbo. So it's safer for u to remain silent.

DMerciful:
You're not looking at the root cause but an immediate cause. The Owo massacre was done to people on their own in a church in Ondo.

Remember when there was a cartoon of mohd in Denmark, was there no destruction in northern Nigeria?

The truth is they look for a reason to kill. If you're a Southerner teaching in the North and lets say you teach mathematics. If one of your student is reading Koran in class and you asked the student to put it away so you can focus on maths, you can be killed if the changed the narrative to say you rate maths over koran.

We cannot build a society where people walk on eggshells.

This thing you're justifying, if it happens to your love one, your perspective will change