The Sokoto State Police Command has said it is still in search of the killers of Deborah Samuel, a 200-Level student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto who was stoned to death her body thereafter set alight by persons said to be her classmates.
In the incident which happened in May 2022, Deborah was accused of blasphemy following some comments she made on a group Whatsapp platform.
However, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the Command, DSP Sanusi Abubakar, who spoke over alleged silence on the case, said those arrested by the police were not the prime suspects. Abubakar said they were only among those who organised the riot.
He added that those arrested were still in remand custody as ordered by the court.
Abubakar further said that the prime suspects were still at large, stating that efforts were ongoing to arrest them.
The police spokesperson stated, “Those we arrested then, though not the suspected killers, contributed to the violent riot and were arraigned in court where the judge ordered that they should be remanded. Concerning those suspected killers, we have circulated their pictures to media houses and sent our intelligence to every part of the state.
“We are still on the lookout for them and we are confident of arresting them wherever they may be hiding. We will flush them out and arraign them before a competent court of law.’’
He promised that the Command would not be biased on the case, adding that the state Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Gumel, would ensure that justice was served.