Although the college authorities had shut down the school, some Christian students told SaharaReporters that their lives were no longer safe on the campus, as the jihadists roam freely.
There is presently tension among Christian students in various tertiary institutions in Sokoto State in the aftermath of the gruesome killing of Deborah Samuel by Muslims extremists at the Shehu Shagari College of Education over alleged blasphemy.
Although the college authorities had shut down the school, some Christian students told SaharaReporters that their lives were no longer safe on the campus, as the jihadists roam freely.
Blessing (not real name) is one of such students who said she was traumatised by the gruesome killing of Deborah and could not wait to leave the college.
She said, “We don’t know who is going to be the next victim of what happened to Deborah. I have not yet got over that sad incident where a young lady with a promising future was burned to death like a goat. And it is so unfortunate that the culprits might escape this in the end. This is not the first and it won't be the last.
"Before, I had thought that Sokoto, or any other place in the North, was where I could live, but the incident affected my decision to continue staying. I just want to finish in this College of Education and get out of the north.”
Emmanuel (not real name) is an indigene of Anambra State and attends the Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto.
Speaking with SaharaReporters, he said, “Though I have not been a victim of religious victimisation before in Sokoto, I have witnessed several religious arguments among my course mates but none has ever led to a crisis in my school like what happened in Shehu Shagari College.
"But Deborah's killing is now my greatest fear. Since the incident happened, many departmental groups have been tense in my school. Students have to be careful of what they say online unlike before where everyone was free to one another."
Recall that the remains of Deborah were laid to rest in her hometown, Tungan Magajiya in Rijau Local Government Area of Niger State Saturday evening.
She was stoned to death and set ablaze last Thursday by her fellow students for allegedly making a blasphemous statement on a WhatsApp group against Prophet Mohammed.