Deborah: Prime supects still at large, say police

The Sokoto state police command says the suspected killers of Deborah Emmanuel, popularly known as Deborah Samuel, are still at large. 

Sanusi Abubakar, the command spokesperson, said this on Sunday in an interview with PUNCH. 

Abubakar said those arrested and arraigned before a magistrate court only contributed to the violent riot. 

On May 12, Emmanuel, a female student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, was attacked by a mob and set ablaze over comments purportedly considered to be an insult to Prophet Mohammed.

In May, a magistrate court sitting in Sokoto remanded two suspects — Bilyaminu Aliyu and Aminu Hukunci — arrested in connection with Emmanuel’s murder. 

During the court proceedings, the suspects pleaded not guilty to the murder of the deceased.

However, Abubakar said both Aliyu and Hukunci were not the prime suspects but only among those who organised the riot.

He added that efforts are ongoing to arrest them to arrest the killers.

“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,” the command spokesperson said. 

“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.’’