
Alleged Blasphemy: Court Begins Trial, 34 Lawyers Defend Suspected Killer Students
Over 34 Lawyers stood today to defend the suspected killers of Deborah Yakubu, a female student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education stoned and burnt to death by mob of students over alleged blasphemous statement against Prophet Mohammed SAW on Thursday morning in Sokoto state.
The Police have arraigned two suspects: Bilyaminu Aliyu and Aminu Hukunci over the lynching and killing of the 200-Level Home Economics student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education.
The suspects, co-students of the deceased, were docked at a Sokoto State Chief Magistrate’s Court for their alleged participation in the crime.
The suspects pleaded not guilty to the crime and the 34 Lawyers led by Professor Mansur Ibrahim requested the suspects being granted bail but the bail application was refused by the Magistrate.
Inspector Khalil Musa had told the court that an investigation was in progress as Deborah Samuel’s corpse was still in a morgue at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto.
Leader of the 34 lawyers, Professor Mansur Ibrahim, applied for their bail on liberal terms citing the constitutional provisions and sections of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law.
The trial judge (name withheld for security reasons) reserved the ruling on the bail application and ordered the accused to be remanded at a correctional centre.