Juliana Francis
A Facebook user, May Ebute, has taken to her Facebook wall to reveal in her opinion how a simple voice note, expressing displeasure over ‘something’ dropped on a WhatsApp group platform, led to the eventual gruesome murder of Deborah Samuel.
Deborah, a student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, was flogged, killed, and burnt over an alleged post that blasphemed the holy prophet Muhammad (SAW).
The Sokoto State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Sanusi Abubakar, disclosed that one of the killers, who was holding a box of matches in a viral video, had been identified and would soon be arrested.
Ebute, who had repeatedly expressed shock over the horrific of the undergraduate, said: “I just listened to the VN that they said was blasphemy. Apparently, someone dropped something on the group that necessitated Deborah to send a Voice note saying this. ‘Holy ghost fire. There is nothing that will happen to us. There are things that you are supposed to send to us. This group was not created for you to be sending us unnecessary information. The group was created to pass information concerning tests and assignments. Not unnecessary information. Messenger of God for what?…’ I didn’t quite get the last part. It sounded like “Anzo ana mun buro uba?” I don’t know what that means either. Someone should help me translate. Please. The above is the reason why she was killed. Something that was dropped on the group, brought that reaction from her. They are not sharing that part, so we don’t know what it is.
“However, we know that she thought she was talking to her coursemates. The same people that she must have laughed with and chatted with the day before. She thought they were her friends. But we know how it is with religious fanaticism. A relationship does not count. She died at the hands of familiar people whom she shared a class, friendship, and laughter with.”
Ebute further stated: “Dear Non-Muslims living in the north, wisdom is profitable to direct. That is all I will say, after listening to that VN. Fanaticism mostly comes dressed in a fine robe, seems educated, and looks enlightened. Fanaticism is not just that BH soldier you see in videos, wearing something over the face and carrying a gun. Fanaticism could even be that brother, that sister, that smiled at you and even stopped for a chit-chat. All it takes for that smile to turn into a scowl and a cry for your blood may be something you flippantly said. Something others may overlook but not a fanatic. A former colleague of mine, whom we had worked with for years, gist and laugh together, told us one day that he didn’t mind killing anyone of us that dared to say anything bad about his religion. He was ready to spill blood. “This ground go red with the person blood,” he said calmly with a smile on his face. I called my bestie aside and warned him to be very careful. He usually had more interactions with the guy than I. Today, I am wary of that person. He was our friend. Our colleague but behind that smile, there was fanatic hiding. Again, I say, wisdom is profitable to direct. Watch your tongue. You never know when you will say something seemingly harmless but to your listener, you have crossed the line.”
