No less than 34 lawyers will be defending Bilyaminu Aliyu and Aminu Hukunci, two suspected killers of Deborah Samuel, in court.
The defense team which is led by Prof. Mansur Ibrahim is expected to tell the court why their clients where right to kill and burn the victim.
Deborah Samuel, a 200-Level Home Economics student at Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, was killed by Muslim fanatics after she was accused of blasphemy.
The victims claimed that she blasphemed against Prophet Mohammed in a school WhatsApp group, although this has been contested.
However, the suspects who are co-students of the deceased were docked at a Sokoto Chief Magistrate’s Court for their alleged participation in the crime.
When asked to take their pleas, they pleaded not guilty to the crime.
Lead prosecutor, Inspector Khalil Musa, told the court that an investigation was in progress as Deborah Samuel’s corpse was still in a morgue at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto.
The leader of the defense team, Prof. Mansur Ibrahim then applied for the bail of the suspects on liberal terms, citing constitutional provisions and sections of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law.
The trial judge (name withheld for security reasons), however, reserved the ruling on the bail application and ordered the accused to be remanded at a correctional center.
