Despite stiff opposition by the Sokoto State Government that the charred remains of Miss. Deborah Samuel, a student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, be kept in a morgue, the body was buried, Saturday, in her hometown, Tungan Magajiya, in Rijau Local Government Area of Niger State.
Miss Samuel was beaten to pulp and burnt dead on Thursday by some irate students of the college for alleged blasphemy reportedly committed in a WhatsApp Group chat.
The atmosphere in the state remained charged over the weekend following the gruesome murder of the young lady, forcing the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, to relocate to Abuja.
Prior to the burial, the Sokoto State Government had reportedly insisted that the body be kept in the mortuary until it concludes its “arrangement on the matter.”
Deborah, according to reports, had been living with family members in Sokoto since she was in primary school up till her sad end.
According to Daily Post, an official of the Sokoto State Government had reportedly called and ordered that the body, which was being transported to Niger State, be returned to Sokoto claiming it belonged to the government.
The government, the report further revealed, had asked the family to deposit the deceased in the mortuary until burial arrangements were concluded.
However, the parents disagreed with the government’s position, insisting that their slain daughter would be buried Saturday. They were apparently unhappy with the way the government was handling the issue
DAILY POST also revealed that Deborah’s mother had been unconscious since news of her daughter’s murder hit her like a bolt of thunder. Father of the deceased, the paper added, had also been inconsolable since the tragedy.
Meanwhile, the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, led by the Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora, had condoled with the Christian faithful in the state, especially, Rijau Local Government and the family of the late Deborah Samuel.
“We are deeply sorry to hear about the passing on to glory of our beloved sister, Deborah Samuel,” he said.
“Our deepest sympathy goes out to the entire Christian community in Niger, most especially, the people of Rijau Local Government and her immediate family.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Christian community and all her family.
“At this difficult time of sadness and bereavement, may God have mercy on her and grant her eternal rest.
“May God grant the immediate family and indeed all of us the fortitude to bear the loss,” he prayed.
