- Gov Tambuwal imposes curfew
Palpable fear reigned in Sokoto metropolis as some Muslim youths on Saturday morning trooped out to the streets in their numbers protesting against the accusation of resorting to self-help and jungle justice in the killing of a female student for alleged blasphemy.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the detention of some Muslim students in connection with Deborah Samuel’s killing, the demonstrating youths’ attempts to attack the Palace of the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, were resisted by security men on the ground.
The youths’ procession along Maiduguri road had some of them armed with placards carrying different inscriptions and shouting “Allahu Akbar” translated in English as ‘God is great’, while major streets in the city, such as Ahmadu Bello Way, and Kano Road that house most commercial banks and Emir Yahaya Road, were deserted with business places and shops closed.
Reports said the protest started at the roundabout of Zabira Mall roundabout with the youths marching through Gao-Nama onwards flyover within the state metropolis.
The youths also called on the State Government as well as security agencies to as a matter of urgency release those arrested in connection with the killing.
Curfew
In a swift reaction to the unrest, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state has declared a 24-hour curfew to restore law and order.
In a press statement released before noon on Saturday, the Governor said because of the Shehu Shagari College of Education incident, and the current developments in Sokoto metropolis, a 24-hour curfew has been imposed on the state to stop further escalations of the crisis.
Meanwhile, a combined team of security operatives including soldiers from the 8 Division, Police, Department of State Services (DSS), and Nigerian Security Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were seen monitoring the protest and stationed in strategic positions to avert further breakdown of law and order.
The victim, Deborah Emmanuel, a 200-level female student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, was mobbed and killed before her corpse was set ablaze within the school premises on Thursday.
Before today’s protest, invitations had gone out calling on all Muslim youths in the state to assemble for a peaceful protest starting from 9 am today to demand the release of those arrested in connection with Thursday’s incident.
