DEBORAH EMMANUEL: FATHER WATCHED HELPLESSLY AS HIS DAUGHTER WAS STONED TO DEATH! – Sokoto CAN Chairman

Suddenly, there was a breaking news that Deborah Emmanuel, a Christian, this time in a tertiary institution in Sokoto town has been stoned to death, like Stephen (Acts 7: 54-8), and her body burnt. In what has become a regular exercise in Northern Nigeria, the whole nation was thrown into another round of pall of gloom. In this interview with E-life in Sokoto, the Very. Rev. Fr. Nuhu Iliya, the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria CAN Sokoto State takes a look at the whole episode, his meeting with the father of the deceased whom he confirmed was at the scene of the killing of his daughter. Excerpts from the interview.

After the killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto, what is the next step now? Has the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Sokoto State visited the family?
You mean Deborah Emmanuel. Her father said her correct name is Emmanuel, not Yakubu or Samuel.
We have not been able to visit the family. I was not in town when this matter happened. I had to return to Sokoto immediately after the news break. When I came back, I was called by the DSS director and later, we had another meeting with the governor of the state and other security bodies.

I was told her family is in Zuru, and the father is a member of the 1st ECWA Church. I got his contact and sent for him, and he came. After much discussion and condolences, he said they are not at peace until they see the remains of Deborah buried. They would leave Sokoto Saturday morning with the remains for burial in Zuru.

He promised to come back here on Monday, and we shall see how to visit the family as CAN subsequently. He told me that they have no immediate reaction to what has happened because the state government has promised to take action, and arrests have been made. So they are waiting.

We saw several videos of her killing, especially of a guy who held a matchbox announcing with pride that he killed her and burnt her. Is that self–confessed murderer one of the arrested?
Yes, we all saw the video and were told some arrests had been made. If the security agencies are serious about arresting the culprits, they should be able to do so within one or two weeks because the self-confessed killer did not hide his face. He did it proudly.

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With the situation in Sokoto now, especially in Shehu Shagari College of Education, are the Christian students safe? Can any Christian send their children to the school for education?
Well, I cannot say with precision because, with what happened that day and from the narrative of the father of Deborah, who was on the scene of the killing, … yes, they killed his daughter in his presence. The father helplessly watched his daughter being stoned to death!

He said he left the place when they were gathering tyres to burn her body. He added that the mob started running after other Christian ladies in the vicinity after killing Deborah. So, I don’t know if any Christian is safe in that school until they resume.

The information we heard here in Lagos is that the lady had several opportunities of escaping from the school since the rumour was all over the place, but she refused to leave the campus. Is this information true?
No, I don’t think it is true. The father told me that when they started harassing her, she left the hostel for the security post at the gate, the entrance of the school.

So, by the time she got there, the security men locked her inside the room to save her as they waited for the police to come. But the security did not come early enough. The mob overpowered them, brought her out and did what they did.

What is your advice to our Christian siblings in northern Nigeria concerning their relationship with these people? Is it not time for the Church in Northern Nigeria to educate the brethren on relating with these people so that we would not be having these killings repeatedly.

We have been trying our best to educate our people. We keep telling them to avoid discussing religion with them and don’t allow anybody to drag them into any religious arguments.

At our CAN meeting today, we reinstated the same thing; Church leaders should teach their members to avoid discussing religions. But you see, it is one thing to speak to people; it is another thing for them to obey.

The killing of Christians in the north has been going on for a long time. Right from the story of Gideon Akaluka in Kano to Deborah Emmanuel in Sokoto, the government would say they would take action and issue press statements of condemnation and condolences. Do you think the government is serious about stopping these killings?
I think we have to wait and see. In Nigeria, many public officers would say things they know they don’t mean and will not do.

Some of these condemnations and promises to punish or to take action are not actually true. Many of them will speak, but you will never see any action.

It has been like that for a long time. We have sent some of the clips of the killing to the national authorities, and we are waiting to see what comes out of it.