Kukah condemns lynching of Sokoto college student over blasphemy

Catholic bishop of Sokoto Diocese Matthew Kukah on Thursday said the lynching of Deborah Samuel, a female student of Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto, is criminal.

Ms Samuel, a 200 level student of the Department of Early Childhood Education in the college, was mobbed after being accused of blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad in a voice note she sent on her class WhatsApp group.

Kukah said in a statement that the incident had nothing to do with religion and that the perpetrators must face justice.

“We condemn this incident in the strongest term and call on the authorities to investigate this tragedy and ensure that all the culprits are brought to book,” the statement said.

“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 the extant laws of our land.

“This has nothing to do with religion. Christians have lived peacefully with their Muslim brothers here in Sokoto over the years.”

“This matter must be treated as a criminal act and the law must take its cause,” he added.