Deborah’s Mother, Sibling Ill, Still To Recover – Father Of Martyred Sokoto Student

According to GIOTV, Emmanuel Garba, the father of Deborah Samuel, a student at the Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto State who was killed by a mob for alleged blasphemy, has stated that her mother and one of her siblings are sick as a result of her untimely death.

Garba, who is from Tungan Magajiya in Niger State’s Rijau Local Government Area, told Punch in an interview that the mother and sibling had not recovered after more than a week, and he was unsure “if they will ever forget this thing that befell us.”

The father, who works as a guard with the Niger State Water and Sanitation (an agency of the government), insisted that he had left the matter to God and he would not seek vengeance.

He said, “I got a call from my elder brother, who is in Sokoto, asking me to come over, that something bad had happened. He didn’t want to break the sad news to me on the phone. So, when I got there, he told me what happened.

“I was extremely sad and confused, and didn’t know what to do or say for a long time. The mother and her siblings are heartbroken; one of my children and the mother became sick as a result of the news of her death and how she was killed. They have still not recovered and I doubt if they will ever forget this thing that befell us, but we pray that the Almighty God makes things easy for us all.

“My daughter was a God-fearing Christian, who was caring and obedient to us as her parents and her siblings. No government official has called any of us and we have not been visited by any delegation.”

GIOTV reported last week in several reports that Deborah was dragged outside her hostel on Thursday, May 12, beaten, killed, and burned by her Muslim colleagues in the presence of security personnel for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

Her assassination has been condemned by organizations and notable individuals both within and outside of Nigeria.

On Monday, May 16, the Sokoto State Police Command arraigned two suspects, Bilyaminu Aliyu and Aminu Hukunchi, before the Sokoto State Magistrate Court for allegedly participating in Deborah’s murder.

The suspects, who were represented by 34 Muslim lawyers led by Prof Mansur Ibrahim, were charged with “criminal conspiracy and inciting public disorder.”