Blasphemy: Classmate reveals Deborah Samuel’s last word before death

Deborah Samuel, a student at Shehu Shagari College Education in Sokoto who was assassinated on Thursday for allegedly “saying blasphemous words about Prophet Muhammad (SAW),” asked for mercy and begged for rescue before her death.

Deborah’s classmate, Rakia, told Vanguard that the deceased’s final words were “what do you intend to achieve with this?”

She described Deborah’s flogging, killing, and burning as the most terrible event she had ever witnessed.

“Deborah was my classmate.” I had just entered the classroom when the commotion on her voice note began.

“It was started by her own coursemates. Deborah, one of them claimed, dared them by refusing to apologize when asked. It all started with a discussion about the approaching exam on a general WhatsApp platform set up for our fellow students. One of the students questioned her how she passed the last semester’s exam, and she replied, “Jesus o.”

“About three other chats came in immediately, from two Muslims and one Christian, telling her to recant the statement.” Two additional students who overheard some Muslim lads discussing the topic informed Deborah’s close friends that she should retract her statement. ‘Holy Ghost fire,’ she replied via a voice note on the platform. Nothing bad will ever happen to me.

“Will you continually be sending this religious crap in this group through force?” The group was not formed for that purpose, but rather to provide information about tests, assignments, and exams, rather than religious posts.’

“We were led to believe that certain young men were brought in from outside prior to the outburst.” I was in class when some of our classmates barged in, proclaiming, “There is fire on the mountain of o.”

Rakia went on to say that the Muslim students brought the strangers to the class to look for her, and that several classmates tried to assist Deborah escape because they had a cab waiting outside to take her straight to the police station, but the mob overpowered everyone who tried to assist her.