The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Wednesday,condemned the killing of Deborah Samuel, a student of College of Education, Sokoto, over alleged blasphemous statement against the Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).
Recall Deborah was killed on Thursday 12 May, 2022, over the allegation, while two of the suspects were arrested in connection with her death, the development, which led to protests in the Sokoto town.
The Director-General of IPCR, Dr. Bakut Bakut, in a statement issued by the institute’s media department, called for calm and sued for peaceful co-existence among citizens, stressing that Nigerians are brothers and sisters and as such should be living together as siblings devoid of violence and hate.
Commending the Sokoto State Government for measures already taken to address the situation, he called on the state government not to relent or relax its efforts to ensure peace is restored in the state.
Bakut also appealed for tolerance, as the only way peaceful co-existence and harmony could be guaranteed, noting that the country has gone through several challenges and in the electioneering period, what Nigeria needs more is tolerance and peace if the nation must move forward.
He emphasized that all hands must be on deck to assist the nation to achieve its desired peace, adding that Nigeria cannot afford another difficult circumstance that will further strain the nation’s fragile security situation.
The Director-General, however, cautioned promoters of hate and violence to desist from such as Nigeria is not known for fighting inter-religious war, and called on all relevant authorities to bring the perpetrators to book to serve as deterrent to others, who may want to toe such criminal and violent paths.
