Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Citadel Global Community Church, Lagos and All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirant, has condemned the murder of a College student, Deborah Samuel, in Sokoto over alleged blasphemy.
The cleric said he received the news of the gruesome killing with deep distress.
Deborah Samuel was murdered by a mob at Shehu Shagari College of Education, in Sokoto last week Thursday.
He said no Nigerian, and indeed, no human being should be subjected to such inhumanity by fellow humans.
He said as a nation of diverse peoples and cultures, there are available institutional mechanisms for resolving sensitive conflicts and no matter the provocation, no person under the nation’s laws has the right to take laws into his or her own hands.
He said, “As one who was a devout Muslim and who read the Koran from cover to cover, what was done to Deborah Samuel is nowhere justified in the religion of peace that was handed down to me by my grandfather who was the first Chief Imam of Iporo Sodeke Mosque in Abeokuta.
“My deep condolences go to the family of Deborah Samuel and I pray that we all find in God the comfort and fortitude to bear this great loss.
“When I heard of the unrest that broke out in Sokoto after the arrest of some persons involved in the act, I immediately placed a call to Bishop Matthew Kukah to guarantee that he was safe and he assured me that, contrary to the news making the rounds in some quarters, his residence and the cathedral were not set ablaze.
“He further told me that the Governor of Sokoto State, Governor Aminu Tambuwal, swiftly intervened and dispatched security men to his residence and cathedral to prevent any mob attack.”
Speaking further, he said the swift intervention by the state government was commendable.
“I trust that the institutions of state will be fully deployed to restore law and order, to ensure that justice is done, and to address the underlying issues that this sad incident has once again brought to the fore,” he added.
Bakare also appealed to the good people of Sokoto State to remember the tolerance and hospitality that they have always been known for.
“As a child, I lived in Sokoto State. When my father travelled up North in the 1950s from Abeokuta in search of a market for his kolanut produce, he was warmly received by the people of Sokoto State.
“So hospitable were the people that my father settled in Sokoto for a period and invested in cotton farms in Shagari village. Though he was Yoruba, my father was given the nickname “Sanni Arewa” by the very friendly people of Sokoto. Such unity and tolerance should remain our true identity as a people,” he recalled.
He also averred that the horrifyingly wicked killing of Deborah Samuel was a wake-up call for Nigerians to once again reflect on our common humanity and reject every form of savagery.
“We must all, at this time, set aside our differences, be they religious, ethnic or political differences, and come together to say Never again should this happen to any Nigerian,” Bakare added.