A team of 34 lawyers came to defend the suspects, as police, today, arraigned two— Bilyaminu Aliyu and Aminu Hukunci — at a Sokoto Chief Magistrate’s Court over the lynching of Deborah Samuel, a 200-Level Home Economics student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, on May 12.
Deborah’s fellow students lynched her over the alleged blasphemy she committed on their WhatsApp group chat.
When the suspects were arrested, a violent street protest followed, weekend, as the protesters demanded their immediate release by security operatives.
Governor Aminu Tambuwal consequently imposed a 24-hour curfew on Sokoto metropolis on Saturday.
He relaxed the curfew today; to be observed from dusk to dawn.
The lifting of the curfew is contained in a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Isa Bajini-Galadanchi.
“The review is to enable people to go about their legitimate businesses and other means of livelihood,” he added.
Meanwhile, in court today, prosecuting Inspector Khalil Musa told the court that investigation was in progress, as Deborah’s corpse was still in a morgue at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto.
Leading a team of 34 lawyers, the defence counsel, Professor Mansur Ibrahim, applied for their bail on liberal terms, citing constitutional provisions and sections of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law.
The trial judge (name withheld for security reasons) reserved ruling on the bail application and ordered the accused to be remanded at a correctional centre. Vanguard.