United Nations Deputy Secretary-General demands justice for Deborah

Following the murder of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto for blasphemy, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Muhammed has called for justice.

Muhammed issued a statement on Tuesday, emphasizing that religions should not be “misinterpreted to teach violence.”

Justice must be served for the needless and terrible assassination of Deborah Yakubu, a young Nigerian woman.

When religions urge peace, they should not be misunderstood as preaching violence.

She tweeted, “My prayers are with the family and for the serenity of her soul.”

Deborah Yakubu, a second-year student at Sokoto’s Sheu Shagari College of Education, was lynched on school grounds on Thursday after being accused of blasphemy by classmates.

On Monday, the Sokoto Police Command arraigned two suspects, Bilyaminu Aliyu and Aminu Hukunci, before a Chief Magistrate’s Court in the state, for their alleged participation in the crime.

The alleged suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges while the defence counsel, Prof. Mansur Ibrahim, applied for their bail on liberal terms, citing constitutional provisions and sections of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law.

The trial judge reserved the ruling on the bail application and ordered the accused to be remanded at a correctional centre.