On Sunday, the Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) vowed that any politician who did not condemn the murder of Deborah Samuel by Muslim extremists at the Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto would not receive its votes in the 2023 elections.
Deborah Samuel, a 200-level Home Economics student at the institution, was murdered and set on fire by Islamic extremists after she warned her classmates against posting religious content on their WhatsApp page.
Belusochukwu Enwere, the national chairman of YOWICAN, issued the threat in a statement obtained by journalists in Abuja.
He said, “Today is the fourth day Miss Deborah Samuel was killed by Muslim extremist students who chose to take laws into their hands, and yet most of our Nigerian political class who are gunning to lead us as a country failed to condemn or to commiserate with the bereaved family.
“Even after killing Deborah, the miscreants continued to destroy people’s properties, burning church facilities and going from house to house intimidating peaceful Christians. The security agencies should do the needful before this becomes a religious war.
“This is nauseating and disheartening indeed. Any politician who failed to mourn with the nation, especially the Christians, in this sorrowful time should forget our votes in 2023. We will mobilise Christian youths across the nooks and crannies of the country to ensure that such persons are stopped because he or she will be a misrepresentation of the nation. Nigeria is a secular state, not a religious nation.
“We call on all Christian youths to continue to be peaceful and not take laws into their hands. God must surely fight to avenge the killing of Deborah. Her death will unearth the evil agenda of the wicked ones in Nigeria.”