A total number of thirty-four lawyers appeared for Bilyaminu Aliyu and Aminu Hukunci, coursemates and suspected killers of Deborah Samuel, in court today. The defence team was led by Prof. Mansur Ibrahim.
Deborah Samuel, a 200-Level Home Economics student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, was lynched by Islamic extremists on 12th May over alleged blasphemy.
However, the suspects were docked at a Sokoto Chief Magistrate’s Court for their alleged participation in the crime. When asked to take their pleas, they pleaded not guilty to the crime.
The prosecutor, Insp Khalil Musa, told the court that an investigation was in progress as Deborah’s corpse was still in a morgue at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto.
The leader of the defence team, Prof. Mansur Ibrahim then applied for the bail of the suspects on liberal terms, citing constitutional provisions and sections of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law.
The trial magistrate (name withheld for security reasons), however, reserved the ruling on the bail application and ordered the accused to be remanded at a correctional centre