The Sokoto State government on Thursday ordered the closure of Shehu Shagari College of Education (SSCOE) after a female student was mobbed and burnt alive after she was alleged to have made a blasphemous comment against Prophet Muhammed.
The school is located at the Farfaru area in the Sokoto metropolis.
The state’s Commissioner for Information, Isah Galadanci, in a statement, said the governor, Aminu Tambuwal, directed the Ministry of Higher Education to shut down the college following the incident.
Mr Galadanci said the governor also directed the relevant security agencies in the state to commence an investigation into the remote and immediate causes of the incident and report back to the government.
Meanwhile, the governor called on the residents to remain calm and maintain peace.
He said the government will take appropriate actions on the findings of the investigation.
The student identified only as Ms Deborah was alleged to be protesting against the uncontrolled sharing of messages on a school WhatsApp group believed to be dedicated only for academic purposes.
In a WhatsApp voice note alleged to have been made by the deceased student, she was heard saying: “HolyGhost fire, nothing will happen to us, you supposed to share things that are relevant in this group.
“The group is not meant for sharing nonsense things, it’s for school tests and assignments notification, not the useless things, you cannot share things about Prophet Muhammad here, the prophet is a (redacted)
Some people alleged to be her colleagues could be heard in the background warning her to stop.
Sultanate condemns killing
The secretary of the Sultanate Council in Sokoto, Sa’idu Maccido, in a statement condemned the killing and urged security forces to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“The Sultanate Council condemned the incident in totality and has urged the security agencies to bring perpetrators of the unjustifiable incident to justice.
“The Sultanate Council has urged all to remain calm and ensure peaceful coexistence among all people of the state and nation, the statement said
School shut down
The management of the school said following the incident in the college, the college management has resolved to close down the college indefinitely with immediate effect.
Consequently, all students are hereby directed to vacate campus immediately, the school’s management said in the statement.
