The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the brutal murder of Deborah Samuel my irate Islamic students for alleged blasphemy in Sokoto on May 12, 2022.
Atiku made the condemnation of the widely condemned murder while responding to a tweep on why he took down the post on Twitter condemning the murder.
He was asked during his appearance at the Peoples Town Hall meeting on Channels Television on Sunday.
Atiku said that he condemned the murder because it is against the tenets of Islam for anybody to take someone’s life without following due process.
“I condemned it. There is nowhere, where it is said or there is an injunction in the Islamic Faith that you can go and take someone’s life. It has to be through due process.” He said
Deborah Yakubu, a year two female student of Shehu Shagari College of Education Sokoto was murdered and burnt by some Muslim students for allegedly blaspheming against Prophet Mohammed in a WhatsApp platform on May 12, 2022.
On May 13, Atiku, in a post on his social media handles, condemned the incident and called for the arrest of those behind the dastardly act.
He declared that all those behind the killing must be brought to book.
“There cannot be a justification for such gruesome murder. Deborah Yakubu was murdered, and all those behind her death must be brought to justice. My condolences to her family and friends.”
However, some religious fundamentalists apparently in support of the murder threatened to withdraw their support for him in the comment section of the post.
They threatened that he had lost their support and votes.
The post was taken down afterwards to the consternation of Nigerians who demanded explanation for it.
On Sunday, Atiku repeated his explanation that the post condemning the murder was taken down because it violated the process for the release of such social media reactions from him.
According to him, the post was taken down because he did not clear it before it was released.
The PDP Presidential Candidate who appeared alongside his running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, also said that he had met with Governor Wike on five occasions in the bid to resolve the issues in the party.
“I have met with Wike two times in Abuja, Two times in Abuja and one time in London personally.”
Atiku who said that it is not his own making that the issue had not been resolved saying the other side was responsible.
He said that he is still waiting for Wike.
