A Nigerian Catholic priest, Rev. Kelvin Ugwu, has expressed his concern over the slow pace of justice in the case of Deborah Samuel, a 200-level Home Economics student at the Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto, who was stoned and burnt to death by a mob in May 2022. The incident was allegedly sparked by accusations of blasphemy.
On the anniversary of Deborah's death, Rev. Ugwu took to Facebook to demand answers from Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, President Muhammadu Buhari, and the Nigerian Police Force, over the lack of progress in finding and prosecuting the killers of Deborah. He questioned the governor on the whereabouts of the killers and whether they had been found and prosecuted. He also called out President Buhari and the Nigerian Police Force for their inaction in the matter.
Rev. Ugwu wrote on Facebook, “Tomorrow the 12th of May will make it exactly one year since the young Christian lady Ms. Deborah was brutally killed by her fellow students and burnt to ashes in Shehu Shagari College of Education Sokoto, over an alleged and unsubstantiated blasphemy or insult to prophet Muhammad (PBUH). I am asking the Governor of Sokoto, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, please sir, where are the killers of Deborah? Have you found them? Where did you keep them? What did you do to them? I am asking President Muhammadu Buhari, where are the killers? Are they invisible? Have they been arrested? And to the Nigeria Police Force, what has happened to the swiftness you normally employ in arresting people who make posts on social media you consider inciting and divisive? What did you do to the killers of Ms. Deborah? Where are the killers?”
Many Nigerians have expressed their frustration with the slow pace of justice in Nigeria, and have called on the government to prioritize the safety of its citizens regardless of their religion or ethnicity. One social media user wrote, "It’s a shame that justice is not being served for Deborah Samuel. We need to hold our leaders accountable and demand that they take action to protect the lives and rights of all Nigerians." Another added, "It’s time for the government to prioritize the safety of its citizens, regardless of their religion or ethnicity. Deborah’s death is a tragedy, and we cannot let her killers go unpunished."
