The Sokoto State Police Command has disclosed that men of the force are still searching for the suspected killers of Deborah Samuel, who was gruesomely murdered in the state for alleged blasphemy.
Samuel, a 200-level student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto was stoned and burnt to death by some of her colleagues in May, 2022, over allegations that she made a comment in her school’s WhatsApp platform which her Muslim colleagues considered to be blasphemous against Prophet Mohammed (SAW).
At the time, the police confirmed that at least two people had been arrested over the killing of the female student. However, DSP Sanusi Abubakar, the spokesman for the command, in a recent statement noted that those arrested by the police months back are not the suspected killers.
According to Abubakar, who spoke with Punch over the case, they were only among those who organised the riot, adding that those arrested are still in custody as ordered by the court.
Abubakar further said that the prime suspects are still at large and efforts to bring them to book are ongoing.
“Those ones we arrested then, though not the suspected killers, contributed to the violent riot and were arraigned in court where the judge ordered that they should be remanded. Concerning those suspected killers, we have circulated their pictures to media houses and sent our intelligence to every part of the state.
“We are still on the lookout for them and we are confident of arresting them wherever they may be hiding. We will flush them out and arraign them before a competent court of law.” He said.
Speaking further, he promised that the command would not be biased on the case, and tha the state Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Gumel, would ensure that justice is serve
