Police Defends School Authority Over Killing On Alleged Blasphemy
Nigeria Police Force has made early statement trying to exonerate the authority of Shehu Shagari College of Education where a female student named Deborah Samuel was stoned and burnt to death by group of students over alleged blasphemous statement against Prophet Mohammed SAW.
The Police in a press statement signed by ASP Sanusi Abubakar, the Sokoto State Police Command Public Relations Officer claimed the killer students overpowered the school security operatives.
The police said Deborah Samuel was hidden inside security room while the killer students were on rampage.
The police also said it received distress call from the school at about 9 o’clock in the morning obviously affirming and contradicted itself by saying, it was informed that a student accused of blasphemy has been killed.
The police did not explain or state what the school authority did to inform security agencies when they first hide Deborah Samuel inside the security room and immediately they were allegedly overpowered.
There are concerns that the school authority is liable over the killing of the female student, on the ground that informing police after the deed is done or almost done is tantamount to being a party in the organized religious conspiracy to Kill and gruesomely burnt to ashes any one not in support of their faith.
Videos from the scene of crime indicated that it took hours before Deborah Samuel was killed and another hours before her looking lifeless body was set ablaze.
The question the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba must answer is that how long or at what time should the school authority send the distress call and the numbers of hours required for the police command in the state to mobilize its men to avert a religious crime that borders on national security and a visa to possible anarchy in the state and beyond.
The police command in Sokoto state and officials of the school authority must be treated as suspects in this crime against humanity.
It is believed if the school authority had mobilized the local vigilante in the community in addition to the school security operatives, shooting sporadically into the air would have scared the killer students away and saved the life of Deborah Samuel.
The police statement is presented thus:
SOKOTO STATE POLICE COMMAND PRESS RELEASE.
In reply, please quote Ref/No: AZ/5250/SKS/PRD/VOL.III/202 Date: 12/05/2022.
ALLEGED BLASPHEMOUS COMMENT BY SHEHU SHAGARI COLLEGE OF EDUCATION STUDENT.
Investigation has commenced and two suspects have been arrested so far.
At about 0900hrs, a distress call was received from Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, stating that students were rioting over one female student named Deborah Samuel, a level two student, who was accused of making a social media post that blasphemed the holy prophet Muhammad (SAW).
Students forcefully removed the victim from the security room where she was hidden by the school authorities, killed her and burnt the building.
The students banded together with miscreants and barricaded the Sokoto/Jega road.
Upon receiving the information, the DC Operations led a team of policemen and all other operational commanders in the state to the school where the road was cleared and the situation was brought under control.
Two students were arrested in connection with the crime committed. The school has been closed down by the school authority, and policemen were deployed to give tight security coverage.
The Commissioner of Police, Sokoto State Command, CP Kamaldeen kola Okunlola fdc,mnim is appealing to members of the public to go about their lawful activities and should not panic as the situation is under control.
Meanwhile, the suspects in the viral video on Twitter were spotted and will be nailed soon.
