Tension has gripped residents of some parts of Sokoto State as protesters trooped to the streets demanding the release of suspects arrested over the killing of Deborah Samuel in the state.
The protesters, who stormed the streets in large numbers on Saturday, wielded placards with inscriptions such as, “Release our Muslim brothers”, and “Muslims Are Not Terrorists”, among others.
It was gathered that armed policemen fired teargas canisters to disperse the angry crowd, during which two persons were reportedly injured.
A source who spoke to our correspondent said the protesters became violent and started hurling objects at the police.
On Thursday morning, some students of the college reacted to a voice note reportedly shared by Ms Samuel on her class WhatsApp group.
The voice note, which was rendered in Hausa Language, was interpreted to mean an attack on the Prophet of Islam, Muhammed.
Members of the school authorities and the school security operatives attempted to rescue the deceased but the irate students burnt down the security facility where the late student was being kept.
The police in the state later announced the arrest of two of the suspects.
In a statement, Sanusi Abubakar, the police public relations officer in the state, said other suspects caught in the viral video on Twitter “will soon be nailed too.”
Protest
The protesters blocked motorists going in or out of the Kanwuri area, leading to the Sultan’s palace while others took over the road leading to the government house.
They hold placards with various inscriptions including: “Please, release our friends”, “Release and free our brothers, we’re Muslim not terrorists”, “Muslim is not a terrorist” (sic), among others.
A native of Kanwuri Sarki area, Usman Abdullahi, told PREMIUM TIMES over the phone that the protest was originally peaceful but later became violent.
“Because when they passed us sitting they were policemen following them. I learnt the policemen were supposed to stop them from doing anything stupid, but as more policemen came and tried to disperse them, they started throwing stones into the Sultan’s House calling him a hypocrite,” he said.
He added that the youth became angrier and started burning tires on the road.
“You know, if not because of the security men at the Palace, the youth would have gained access into the main entrance because they were many. The policemen and civil defence officers stopped them from getting closer to the gate,” Mr Abdullahi said.
Another group of youth, protesting on the road leading to the government house, have been dispersed by security agents.
The police command spokesperson, Sanusi Abubakar, did not respond to calls and SMS sent to him for more information on the protest.
