The police in Sokoto State have arraigned two suspects in connection with the murder of Deborah Samuel, a second-year level female student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto.
The suspects, Bilyaminu Aliyu and Aminu Hukunchi, who are also students of the college, were arraigned before a chief magistrates’ court in the state yesterday.
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The police First Information Report (FIR) indicated that the suspects were arraigned as a result of the mob action which led to the lynching of Deborah last Thursday.
The prosecutor, Inspector Khalil Musa, asked the court for another date to allow the police to complete their investigation.
The defence counsel, led by Professor Mansur Ibrahim, did not oppose the application but pleaded with the court to grant the defendants bail, citing Sections 157, 161(a and f) and 164 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Sokoto State, as well as Section 36(5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
The court then adjourned the ruling on the application to a later date which it noted would be communicated to the lawyers and ordered the defendants to be remanded at the Sokoto Correctional Centre.
Meanwhile, Governor Aminu Tambuwal has relaxed the 24-hour curfew imposed on the Sokoto metropolis on Saturday. The curfew will now be from dusk to dawn.
The governor imposed the curfew to contain the protest that followed the arrest of two suspects in connection with the murder of Deborah.
A statement issued by the Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Isa Bajini-Galadanchi, stated that the relaxation of the curfew followed briefings by security agencies in the state.
“The review is to enable people to go about their legitimate businesses and other means of livelihood,” he added.
The commissioner quoted Tambuwal as advising residents to maintain peace and warned that government would not condone any breach of the law.
From Abubakar Auwal (Sokoto) & Linda Ifeachor (Abuja)
