The Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church,
Pastor Tunde Bakare, has condemned the killing of Deborah Samuel, a 200-level
student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, murdered over alleged
blasphemy.
In a statement on Monday, the APC presidential aspirant said
no where in the Qur’an read by him justified killings.
The statement was titled, ‘Tunde Bakare condemns the Killing
of Deborah Samuel, appeals to our common humanity, calls for unity’.
The pastor also called for unity and respect for humanity in the country.
He said, “It was with deep distress that I received the news
of the gruesome killing of Deborah Samuel in Shehu Shagari College of
Education, in Sokoto State. No Nigerian, and indeed, no human being, should be
subjected to such inhumanity by fellow humans.
“As a nation of diverse peoples and cultures, there are
available institutional mechanisms for resolving sensitive conflicts and, no
matter the provocation, no person under our laws has the right to take laws
into their own hands.
“As one who was a devout Muslim and who read the Qur’an from
cover to cover, what was done to Deborah Samuel is nowhere justified in the
religion of peace that was handed down to me by my grandfather who was the
first Chief Imam of Iporo Sodeke Mosque in Abeokuta. My deep condolences go to
the family of Deborah Samuel and I pray that we all find in God the comfort and
fortitude to bear this great loss.
“When I heard of the unrest that broke out in Sokoto after
the arrest of some persons involved in the act, I immediately placed a call to
Bishop Matthew Kukah to guarantee that he was safe and he assured me that,
contrary to the news making the rounds in some quarters, his residence and the
cathedral were not set ablaze. He further told me that the Governor of Sokoto
State, Governor Aminu Tambuwal, swiftly intervened and dispatched security men
to his residence and cathedral to prevent any mob attack.
“This is commendable and I trust that the institutions of
state will be fully deployed to restore law and order, to ensure that justice
is done and to address the underlying issues that this sad incident has once
again brought to the fore.
“I also appeal to the good people of Sokoto State to
remember the tolerance and hospitality that they have always been known for. As
a child, I lived in Sokoto State. When my father travelled up north in the
1950’s from Abeokuta in search of a market for his kola-nut produce, he was
warmly received by the people of Sokoto State.
“So hospitable were the people that my father settled in
Sokoto for a period and invested in cotton farms in Shagari Village. Though he
was Yoruba, my father was given the nickname “Sanni Arewa” by the very friendly
people of Sokoto. Such unity and tolerance should remain our true identity as a
people.
“The horrifyingly wicked killing of Deborah Samuel is a
wake-up call for us as a nation to once again reflect on our common humanity
and reject every form of savagery. We must all, at this time, set aside our
differences, be they religious, ethnic or political differences, and come
together to say ‘Never again should this happen to any Nigerian’.”
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com