The Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria on Sunday expressed concern about the killing of Miss Deborah Samuel, a student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, for alleged blasphemy.

The National President of the Council, Mr. Henry Yunwap, expressed the concern in a statement issued in Jos on Sunday.

He said that there was no justification whatsoever for the dastardly act.

Yunwap called on federal and Sokoto State governments to, as a matter of urgency and for the unity of the country, go beyond just condemning the act.

He urged the authorities to ensure that all those involved in her killing were arrested and punished according to the laws of the land.

“We want to remind the federal government that this is not the first time such an act is taking place in the country all in the name of religion.

“The reason we are witnessing the same now is that the expected action to serve as a deterrent was never taken as the perpetrators were often left to go scot-free.
“God remains powerful and can never be represented by any mortal called human being.

“Our religious leaders must preach that always as no human being can take the life he never created no matter the circumstances,” he said.

Yunwap called on Christians to remain calm and resolute, especially in a time such as this as emphasized by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, the Most Rev. Matthew Kuka, in his statement.

He said that all citizens must do all it would take to make the country habitable for everybody irrespective of his or her religion and location.

“We commend the pro-activeness of the Sokoto State government and the security agents for arresting two persons.

“However, we state here that the number of those arrested is not enough considering the number of those that took part in the act as seen in some videos that went viral,” he said.

Yunwap condoled with the family of the deceased and prayed to God to grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.