As the gruesome murder of Deborah Samuel, the 22-year-old student of Shehu Shagari College of Education who was accused of blasphemy and burnt to death by her fellow students has continued to generate strong condemnation from many Nigerians, the State of Emergency GBV Movement has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators.
According to a statement made available to Legit.ng, the movement insists that the actions of the individuals were barbaric, despicable and criminal.
It reads:
‘’The constitution upholds the right of life and mandates all citizens to respect the rights and dignity of other. The constitution does not recognize blasphemy, and Nigeria’s laws are clear on murder.
‘’Any person who feels their right to freedom of religion and belief has been or is being violated is expected by law to seek redress from courts and not resort to jungle justice. Allowing this injustice by a depraved criminal mob to go without prosecution and punishment will enable anarchy in our system and further shred the fabric of our humanity as Nigerians.
‘’We therefore call on law enforcement agencies to swiftly apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators, whose faces are identifiable in the now viral gruesome video. We also call for further investigation to identify accomplices in the murder for immediate prosecution. Swift and commensurate justice must be served to deter future occurrences of this heinous crime.
‘’This crime was committed within the precinct of an educational institution in a country where girls account for 60% of the nation’s out-of-school children, one of the highest in the world. Without an appropriate response, prosecution and punishment, this incident will exacerbate the insecurity, and lack of safety women and girls in higher institutions already face. We must be sure of the security of all lives in our institutions of learning and create a system of accountability between students and the leadership of such institutions.
‘’Deborah’s death is one too many amidst the depravity of uncontrolled banditry, kidnapping, insurgency and insecurity ravaging the country, we call on the Federal Government, the NATIONAL Assembly, the Nigerian Governors Forum, and Nigeria’s security agencies to be loud and unambiguous in their condemnation of this gruesome murder and to guarantee a swift investigation and delivery of justice for Deborah an her loved ones.’’
