President Buhari is demanding that the government investigate the events that led to a student’s death at Shehu Shagari College of Education.
The institution says that Deborah, a 200 level student of the institute, was killed because she allegedly blasphemed Prophet Mohammed’s name.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said he is not responsible for a post that condemns the killing of Deborah and asks him to abandon his presidential ambitions.
The Christian Association of Nigeria blames the killings in Nigeria on the failure of the government.
In a statement given by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, President Buhari condemned the killing of the student. He deplored the idea of people taking the law into their own hands.
The President, who described the development as a cause for concern, also noted that the teachings by religious leaders do not support any believer judging the action of another person.
“President Muhammadu Buhari strongly condemns the resort to self-help by the mob in Sokoto, resulting in violence, destruction and killing of a second year student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, Deborah Samuel, following an allegation that she had blasphemed Muhammad (SAW), the Prophet of Islam, on Thursday.
“President Buhari said the news of the killing of the young lady by fellow students was a matter of concern and demanded an impartial, extensive probe into all that happened before and during the incident.
“The President noted that Muslims all over the world demand respect for the Holy Prophets, including Isah (Alaihissalaam, Jesus Christ) and Muhammad (SAW), but where transgressions occur, as alleged to be the case in this instance, the law does not allow anyone to take matters into their hands.
“Moreover, religious leaders preach that it is not for the believer to judge the actions of another person. The constituted authority must be allowed to deal with such matters when they arise,” the statement said.
According to the President, “no person has the right to take the law in his or her own hands in this country. Violence has and never will solve any problem.”
President Buhari also directed the Ministries of Information and Culture, Police Affairs and that of Communications and Digital Economy to work with GSM providers and tech companies to help contain the spread of false and inflammatory information through social media.
The President extended the nation’s condolences to the family of the deceased student and wished those that were injured quick recovery.
He commended the immediate response to the incident by the Sokoto State Government and urged religious and community leaders to call citizens’ attention to the need to exercise the right to freedom of speech responsibly.
President Buhari has urged the people to keep calm and wait for more information on the cause of the incident while it is cleared.
