The worst happened yesterday. A female student by the name of Deborah Yakubu, a student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto was mobbed to death and later set on fire by her colleagues around the school premises. What was her offense; her killers claimed that she blasphemed against their dear Prophet, MUHAMMED; she insulted the prophet and the punishment was instant death.

According to the voice note that she sent to the class WhatsApp group that led to her death which she spoke in Hausa, the loose translation of it was; “Holy Ghost fire! nothing will happen to us. The group was not created for sending nonsense stuff. It was rather created to send past questions, if there is a test, or if we are given assignments not all these nonsense things. Which kind prophet, nonsense Prophet”.

Background: She was reacting to her colleagues always posting religious content in the WhatsApp group which was created solely for academic reasons. The colleagues being mostly Muslims didn’t take her reaction likely and decided to track her down, beat her to death then set her ablaze.

Although her utterances were utterly derogatory and insulting, that should not be what will make her classmates track her down and attack her to death.

Before you panic, save your breath, this is not the first time that a person or people are mobbed to death and then set ablaze for blasphemy against prophet MUHAMMED in Northern Nigeria in recent times, it happened in Kano in 2016. What is more shocking is that the place where this took place is a higher institution of learning, the least place religious intolerance is expected to be in existence in 2022.

How can we still be struggling to save our heads and be cautious not to be hacked to death for blasphemy in Northern Nigeria in 2022? The most surprising thing is that most Northern Muslims saw nothing wrong with that, some are defending the act and quoting Quran to back it up that when you insult the prophet MUHAMMED you deserve to die.

Even those that occupy a high ranking position in society are openly defending the act even on social media. The excitement of the mobs while carrying out the act is dreadful; acts like these are barbaric and are only churned out of religious extremism or fanaticism and sheer ignorance.

We should learn to coexist in peace amongst one another despite the religion, tribe, state or skin pigmentation. It is humanity over religion, humanity over the tribe, humanity over race.

Religious leaders should educate their followers that we are not in the jungle where jungle justice is the order of the day, most of them are clearly ignorant and are always eager to take the law into their hands with the excitement that they are fighting the holy war or fighting for their god. There are institutions that have been put in place to address grievances and anybody who is aggrieved should approach those institutions to address their grievances, that is how it ought to be in a civilized society like Nigeria.

This should not be one of the mob actions that the law enforcement agencies will sweep under the carpet, they should do the needful and bring everybody who is part of this dastard act to justice, every single one of them. The punishment for murder in Nigeria is a death sentence, so nothing less is expected of the law enforcement and the judiciary; examples must be set to deter others from committing this kind of act in the future and be forced to learn religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence in Nigeria.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, Thursday 12th May 2022,  met with President Muhammadu Buhari in Aso Rock Villa, Abuja behind closed doors.

When approached by newsmen immediately after the meeting, Mr Emefiele stated that his fate was still being decided as regards the controversy surrounding his presidential bid.

On the notion that his current position as a presidential aspirant and the CBN governor is a major point of concern for Nigerians and even the international community, he replied, “Let them have heart attacks. It’s good to have a heart attack.”

He further disclosed that despite the current outrage by Nigerians, the main opposition, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), and the international community, he was ‘having fun’ over everything.

Emefiele’s assertion comes barely 24 hours after the President ordered members of his cabinet vying for various elective positions to resign on or before May 16, 2022.

Also, a circular signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha with reference number SGF/OP/ I/S.3/XII/ 173, titled, ‘Ministers, heads of government agencies, ambassadors and other appointees with political ambitions to resign’, ordered all heads of agencies, departments, parastatals, and ambassadors with political ambitions to resign.

It could be recalled that on Friday, 6th May 2022, a group of farmers and businesspersons had reportedly purchased the N100m presidential nomination forms of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) for Emefiele, a move he said he did not influence.

The CBN Governor had earlier gone to court to challenge the Public Service Rule that requires public office holders to resign their positions before contesting elective positions.

While asked to respond to reports that Buhari had directed him to resign, Emefiele said, “There is no news now, but there will be news. You heard me, I said there is no news but there will be news”.

The main opposition party in the country, the PDP, after its 96th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Wednesday, 11th May 2022 restated its call for Emefiele’s sacking, arrest and investigation.

Speaking shortly after the meeting, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said, “NEC restated the call by the party for the immediate resignation, arrest and prosecution of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, for alleged manipulations and financial impropriety in the CBN which contributed to the collapse of our national economy.

“NEC vehemently rejected the continued stay of Mr. Emefiele as CBN Governor after being confirmed as a card-carrying member of the APC.

“The CBN is the custodian and keeper of all INEC sensitive materials used in all elections. Having been confirmed as a member of the APC, Mr. Emefiele can no longer be trusted with INEC sensitive materials which are key to guaranteeing free, fair and credible elections.”

At this juncture, it’s very clear and understandable that Mr Emefiele is really playing on the intelligence and intellectual ability of Nigerians, in their entirety. Not minding his previous actions and inactions, he still further tendered such provoking statements in the public sphere as if the citizens are dummies.

Having gone this far, he doesn’t deserve a resignation at this point, but a sack letter. Understanding that he is actually playing politics with the country’s economy, it’s unequivocally needless to demand for his resignation; he ought to rather be sacked by the President, unless there’s something they are not telling us.

Under Mr Emefiele’s watch, Nigeria’s currency, Naira, has become almost so useless in the international community, yet he isn’t bothered. Rather than hiding his face in shame, he’s further ridiculing the country’s status in the global space.