Nigerian women and religious extremism: Deborah Yakubu, murdered; Rhoda Jatau, imprisoned, By Franklyne Ogbunwezeh
Nigerian women and religious extremism: Deborah Yakubu, murdered; Rhoda Jatau, imprisoned, By Franklyne Ogbunwezeh
The late Deborah Yakubu.
The failure of the Nigerian State to discharge its statutory responsibilities to protect the life and property of its citizens; its failure to punish heinous atrocities and crimes committed in the name of defending religion, its failure to build a just, free, just and fair nation, where no one is discriminated against on the basis of their religion, tribe, language, creed or sexual orientation, is at the epicenter of this ecosystem of impunity that has supported the physical and judicial lynching of Christians in Nigeria since 1994.
On the morning of May 12, 2022, Deborah Yakubu, a young Christian student at Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, was surrounded by a screaming mob of Islamic fanatics and lynched in front of the cameras on the allegation that she had blasphemed against Islam. His killers filmed themselves during the act and posted it on various social media platforms - a sight that would continue to traumatize anyone who watched the bloody video.
Eight days later, on May 20, 2022, Nigerian authorities in Bauchi arrested another Christian, Rhoda Jatau, on another blasphemy allegation. She reportedly shared a message in her WhatsApp workgroup, condemning Deborah's murder.
The post denouncing Yakubu's murder, which Jatau shared, was a conscientious reaction to the trauma of seeing a human being lynched in front of rotating cameras. No one in their good conscience would remain indifferent to such shaken inhumanity.
This, to the Nigerian authorities in the Sharia state of Bauchi, constitutes blasphemy. Not the public killing of a human being.
This, and many other actions and omissions of the Nigerian state, feed and sustain suspicion in various quarters that the Nigerian state, Muslim-dominated at the federal level and in the 12 northern states, which has introduced Sharia law in 1999 not only fuels an agenda to Islamize Nigeria, but is now active in the business of Christian persecution.
The fact that two Christian women sharing messages in WhatsApp groups in northern Nigeria have to pay for it - one with her life, the other with her freedom - is due to a militant Islamic theocracy that is about to collapse the whole of Nigeria.
Deborah Yakubu was murdered by an Islamic mob. The state's failure to protect this innocent young woman from her murderers could be excused for a variety of reasons. But nothing can excuse the state's failure to obtain justice for Deborah.
Two of his attackers, Bilyaminu Aliyu and Aminu Hukunchi, were arrested on May 16, 2022 and brought to justice. The Nigerian Sokoto Police, who were the prosecuting authority, refused to appear in court for several sittings, prompting the Magistrate's Court to dismiss the case and release the killers.
The Nigerian state allowed Deborah Yakubu's murderers to flee by not even appearing to prosecute them. That no one was held responsible for the murder or that there were no diligent prosecutions of the murderers is a mockery of justice. This can only be interpreted as Nigeria...
The failure of the Nigerian State to discharge its statutory responsibilities to protect the life and property of its citizens; its failure to punish heinous atrocities and crimes committed in the name of defending religion, its failure to build a just, free, just and fair nation, where no one is discriminated against on the basis of their religion, tribe, language, creed or sexual orientation, is at the epicenter of this ecosystem of impunity that has supported the physical and judicial lynching of Christians in Nigeria since 1994.
On the morning of May 12, 2022, Deborah Yakubu, a young Christian student at Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, was surrounded by a screaming mob of Islamic fanatics and lynched in front of the cameras on the allegation that she had blasphemed against Islam. His killers filmed themselves during the act and posted it on various social media platforms - a sight that would continue to traumatize anyone who watched the bloody video.
Eight days later, on May 20, 2022, Nigerian authorities in Bauchi arrested another Christian, Rhoda Jatau, on another blasphemy allegation. She reportedly shared a message in her WhatsApp workgroup, condemning Deborah's murder.
The post denouncing Yakubu's murder, which Jatau shared, was a conscientious reaction to the trauma of seeing a human being lynched in front of rotating cameras. No one in their good conscience would remain indifferent to such shaken inhumanity.
This, to the Nigerian authorities in the Sharia state of Bauchi, constitutes blasphemy. Not the public killing of a human being.
This, and many other actions and omissions of the Nigerian state, feed and sustain suspicion in various quarters that the Nigerian state, Muslim-dominated at the federal level and in the 12 northern states, which has introduced Sharia law in 1999 not only fuels an agenda to Islamize Nigeria, but is now active in the business of Christian persecution.
The fact that two Christian women sharing messages in WhatsApp groups in northern Nigeria have to pay for it - one with her life, the other with her freedom - is due to a militant Islamic theocracy that is about to collapse the whole of Nigeria.
Deborah Yakubu was murdered by an Islamic mob. The state's failure to protect this innocent young woman from her murderers could be excused for a variety of reasons. But nothing can excuse the state's failure to obtain justice for Deborah.
Two of his attackers, Bilyaminu Aliyu and Aminu Hukunchi, were arrested on May 16, 2022 and brought to justice. The Nigerian Sokoto Police, who were the prosecuting authority, refused to appear in court for several sittings, prompting the Magistrate's Court to dismiss the case and release the killers.
The Nigerian state allowed Deborah Yakubu's murderers to flee by not even appearing to prosecute them. That no one was held responsible for the murder or that there were no diligent prosecutions of the murderers is a mockery of justice. This can only be interpreted as Nigeria...
The late Deborah Yakubu.
