The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria has condemned the ‘loud silence’ of Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, over the extrajudicial killing of Deborah Samuel.
The group In a statement on Thursday called for justice to be meted on the killers of Samuel who was lynched and burnt to death for alleged blasphemy of Prophet Muhammad on May 12, 2022
The 200-level student of Shehu Shagari College of Education Sokoto was later buried whilst some suspects were arrested and arraigned but nothing has come out of the case in the last two months amid demands for the release of her alleged killers.
Demanding justice for the Northern Christian student, HURIWA warned that the inability to bring Deborah’s killers to justice only proved that “Nigeria is primitive, uncaring, and the political rulers are heartless and lawless”.
The statement read in part, “The loud silence by governor Aminu Tambuwal on this despicable, primitive, and irrational crime against humanity and the deliberate lack of information to the general public on this matter, is a severe blight on the public image of the Sokoto State governor who for many years was a senior national legislator and even became a Speaker of the House of Representatives.”
“Her (Deborah’s) broad daylight execution will forever be a very dangerous incident that shows that Nigeria is primitive, uncaring, and the political rulers are heartless and lawless.
“Why on earth are the killers not yet sanctioned in accordance with the law? Why is no single police or DSS chief punished for dereliction of duty? And why the loud silence from the Sokoto State government or is mob action a part of the modus operandi of the Sokoto State government.
“The government of Sokoto needs to adequately inform Nigerians on the steps it has institutionally taken to punish the perpetrators or it would be assumed that this despicable and reprehensible crime has the imprimatur of Sokoto State government in the year 2022.”
HURIWA said if the Sokoto governor failed to resolve the case as soon as possible, civil society organisation would definitely approach the international community to take steps to compel the governor to fish out the killers for appropriate justice in line with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.