Bridget Agbaheme's killers must be brought to justice - Dogara

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Yakubu Dogara, has condemned the brutal murder of Mrs. Bridget Agbaheme in Kano State, saying all Nigerians must rise against this grievous act of lawlessness and impunity. He asserted that the perpetrators of the heinous crime must be fished out to face the full wrath of the law. A statement issued by
the spokesman to the Speaker, Turaki Hassan, quoted him as saying that there must be justice for the victim who was allegedly killed by a mob in a market in Kano State over allegations of  blasphemy. “We live in a society governed by clearly stated rules and laws. When such crimes of high magnitude, or any at all, are allowed to go unpunished for any reason, we risk descending into a state of lawlessness and anarchy where anyone can assume the role of judge, jury and executioner. “The rule of law must prevail. I urge all security agencies to ensure that they carry out a thorough investigation into the events that led to her untimely death and ensure that the perpetrators of this crime are brought to face the full wrath of the law,” he stated. Calling for tolerance among Nigerians, irrespective of religious or ethnic differences, the Speaker noted that the peace and sanctity of Nigeria is not negotiable and as such, everything must be done to protect them insisting that the fundamental rights of citizens enshrined in the constitution must be respected by one all. Dogara condoled with the family of the deceased and prayed that God comfort them noting that it was not only their grief but that of all Nigerians of goodwill and, indeed, lovers of humanity. In the same vien, the Sultan of Sokoto, who is also the President-General of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, on Sunday condemned the killing of Mrs. Agbahime, accused of  blaspheming  Prophet Mohammed by irate mob in Kano State. The leader of the Nigerian Muslims also condemned the religious crisis that broke out at Pandogari, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State. That crisis led to the  killing of 24-year-old Methodus Emmanuel and three others in Pandogari. The Sultan noted that the two separate incidences which he described as “ugly” stood condemned and regarded as criminal and unIslamic. He  argued that it was unbelievable that such acts could still be perpetrated in the light of enlightenment campaigns by Muslim leaders on the need for Muslim to co-exist with others in the country. Abubakar stated this  in a statement issued on Sunday in Kaduna  on his behalf by the Secretary-General of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Dr. Khalid Abubakar-Aliyu. The JNI boss said, “With pains and sobriety Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) reacts to the most unfortunate alleged blasphemy that was reported to have happened in Wambai Area of Kano, Kano State and Pandogari, Rafi Local Government Council of Niger State. “These ugly incidences utterly stand condemned and are regarded as criminal and unislamic, perpetrated by miscreants and criminals. “We equally commiserate with Mr. Agbahime of the Deeper Life Bible Church of Kano, over the death of his wife, Mrs. Bridget Agbahime as a result of injuries she sustained in the fracas that ensued between her and the hoodlums.” Also, the northern chapter of  CAN has condemned the killing. The northern CAN warned that such act, which it described as barbaric, must henceforth stop. He urged the Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Danguje, and the Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, to warn their people. The Christian body wondered why such “a gruesome and barbaric incident always features in Kano. Why must it always be Kano State? This is not telling good of the state known to be a commercial city,”  Reverend John Hayab, was quoted by Punch. Hayab noted that information made available to the group indicated that the late Mrs. Agbahime was deliberately killed.