The parents of the late Deborah Samuel of Shagari College of Education Sokoto, Sokoto State have described the death of their daughter as sad and painful, saying they have left her killers to God.
Recall that the remains of Deborah were laid to rest in her hometown, Tungan Magajiya in Rijau Local Government Area of Niger State Saturday evening.
She was stoned to death and set ablaze on Thursday by her fellow students for allegedly making a blasphemous statement on a WhatsApp group against Prophet Mohammed.
Reacting to the death of their daughter, the bereaved parents said they have nothing to say or do regarding the loss of their child, but have decided to leave everything in the hands of God.
Speaking with DAILY POST, the father, Mr. Emmanuel Garba, a security personnel with the Niger State Water Works Cooperation at Tungan-Magajiya said, “we can’t say or do anything, except to take it easy as an act of God. We have left all to God, we have decided to take it like that”.
On who brought back the body of his deceased daughter from Sokoto State, the father explained that he personally went and brought back her remains to be buried.
“I personally went and brought back the body of my daughter to enable me to bury my own child. This is because keeping her in the morgue will not return her back.
“When I got there, I met government officials and made them understand the need to allow me take her back home and they agreed with me. When we got to the morgue, those in charge asked me to sign the necessary documents and I did. They released the corpse to me.”
On who paid for the transportation, Garba, “I personally, paid the sum of N120,000 to the driver out of many that refused to convey her back home and it is because of the condition of the remains. Most drivers we approached all refused except one.”
Confirming the call by the Sokoto State Government that the body of his daughter should not be returned home, the father of the deceased stated, “the government wanted me to leave the remains, when they called me, I said no, they should allow me to please, bury my daughter.”
Also, the mother, Mrs. Alheri Emmanuel, told reporters that Deborah was the second of the seven children, adding that it’s so sad to have lost her at such a young age, whom they were relying on to help support them in the future.
On her medical condition, the mother of the deceased explained that she is stable now and discharged from the hospital, where she was admitted upon hearing the news of the gruesome murder of her daughter.
Amid tears, Mrs. Alheri stated,“I have nothing to say, I am grateful to God and for your efforts. I have given God my heart and may God strengthen me. We have nothing to say.
“Because of what happened to me, I will no longer send my children to schools where so much money is involved. Because of her education, the education of some of her siblings suffered as it is so difficult to care for them all at the same time. And, now things are difficult for us”.
Also, her elder brother, Nakaka Garba, when asked for his reaction, he simply stated, “I have nothing to say, we are pained by what happened, but we have left all to God.”
On why their daughter answered Deborah ‘Samuel’ instead of ‘Garba’, the father further added, “she has been living with my brother since she was in primary school and had been using the name”.
Meanwhile, the Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria, on Sunday, vowed to ensure that any politician who did not condemn the killing of Deborah Samuel by Muslim fundamentalists in Sokoto would not get its votes during the 2023 elections.
The National Chairman of YOWICAN, Belusochukwu Enwere, issued the threat in a statement obtained by journalists in Abuja.
He said, “Today is the fourth day Miss Deborah Samuel was killed by Muslim extremist students who chose to take laws into their hands, and yet most of our Nigerian political class who are gunning to lead us as a country failed to condemn or to commiserate with the bereaved family.
“Even after killing Deborah, the miscreants continued to destroy people’s properties, burning church facilities and going from house to house intimidating peaceful Christians. The security agencies should do the needful before this becomes a religious war.
“This is nauseating and disheartening indeed. Any politician who failed to mourn with the nation, especially the Christians, in this sorrowful time should forget our votes in 2023. We will mobilise Christian youths across the nooks and crannies of the country to ensure that such persons are stopped because he or she will be a misrepresentation of the nation. Nigeria is a secular state, not a religious nation.
“We call on all Christian youths to continue to be peaceful and not take laws into their hands. God must surely fight to avenge the killing of Deborah. Her death will unearth the evil agenda of the wicked ones in Nigeria.”
Moreso, the CAN, has directed all churches across the country and Christian stakeholders to embark on a peaceful nationwide protest over the lynching of Deborah Samuel.
A circular released on Saturday night by CAN’s General Secretary, Joseph Daramola, said the protest would be organized by churches across the country to demand justice for the deceased.
“The protest will take place on 22 May, 2022 in the afternoon by 3pm in every secretariat of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) nationwide and not on the streets in order to avoid further loss of lives.
“We urge those who could afford it to make use of the traditional media and social media to give it wide coverage in order to sensitise the whole world. We also call on Nigerian Christians in the diaspora to join us using our embassies all over the world.
“The occasion can also be used to pray for Deborah’s family and friends, peace for the country, victory for the Church and godly political leaders in the coming general election. Thanks, and God bless you all,” the Church organization said.
The circular directed Christians to hold placards with some succinct messages like “WE DEMAND JUSTICE FOR DEBORAH; CHRISTIANS ARE NOT SECOND CLASS CITIZENS; NO MORE KILLING IN GOD’S NAME; ENOUGH IS ENOUGH; POLICE, STOP UNPROVOKED KILLINGS IN NIGERIA.”
